The whereabouts of the man accused of being the British army's top spy in the IRA remains a mystery tonight.
Mr Alfredo "Freddie" Scappaticci (45) issued a statement through his solicitor denying he was "Stakeknife" - the British intelligence services' most prized agent at the heart of the paramilitary group.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach told the Dáil today that he has raised the issue through the British-Irish Secretariat.
While some security sources were adamant the west Belfast builder was spirited out of Northern Ireland on Sunday by police and soldiers, republican sources insisted Mr Scappaticci had gone into hiding on his own initiative and may even be still in Belfast.
The British Ministry of Defence insisted Mr Scappaticci is not in their custody. The Minister of Defence, Mr Geoff Hoon, confirmed, however, that the British army had run an agent in Northern Ireland, who was known to them as "Steak Knife".
"Sir John Stevens has made it known that he wishes to interview 'Steak Knife' in connection with his ongoing inquiry. It would therefore be inappropriate for the MoD to comment further," he said. Sinn Féin's Mr Gerry Kelly said yesterday Mr Scappaticci's family had contacted the party for advice and said he had not left Belfast.
Mr Scappaticci also denied he was in protective custody in a statement issued through Belfast solicitor Mr Michael Flanigan.
"He is not Stakeknife," the statement read.
"He has never been an informer, has never contacted the intelligence services, has never been taken into protective custody and has never received any money from the security services.
"My client is the victim of misinformation, apparently emanating from the security forces and disseminated by the press. Mr Scappaticci is an ordinary working man living in west Belfast and as such has no means at his disposal to combat this onslaught of false allegations.
"Clearly his life has been placed in danger as a result and he is now in hiding. He has not been arrested and no attempt has been made by the police to speak to him about any of the matters referred to by the media."
As the second-in-command of the IRA's internal security squad, "Stakeknife" would have interrogated and sanctioned the execution of informers - raising the question whether other police and army agents within the IRA were sacrificed to protect his identity.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens is believed to have requested an interview with the informer as part of his ongoing investigation into allegations of collusion between the security forces in Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitaries.
PA