Thousands back petition for fresh inquiry into death of SNP activist Willie McRae

The petition, backed by more than 11,000 supporters, is calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding McRae's death thirty years ago, which was officially ruled as suicide - but some believe he was murdered with rumours of involvement by state security services.

Among those who have signed it are John Finucane, who has long campaigned for a public inquiry to uncover the extent of state collusion in the killing of his father, Northern Irish human rights lawyer, Pat Finucane, who was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in 1989.

Annie Machon, a former MI5 agent turned whistleblower, also said the many questions around McRae's case merited a FAI.

The petition will be handed in by campaigners to Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland's offices in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Campaign spokesman Mark MacNicol, said he was delighted at the response to the petition.

He said: "You just don't know before you start these things what kind of response you are going to get.

"The response has been fantastic - not just the amount of signatures, but also the number of people who have been making contact with me via social media.

"There is a high degree of interest and it will be interesting to see what the Lord Advocate says."

MacNicol, who last year produced the play 3000 Trees about the case, said he hoped the thousands of signatures on the petition would show there was serious concern about the death of McRae.

The petition states there are sufficient questions to warrant a "long overdue" FAI into McRae's death on April 7 1985. He was found badly injured in his crashed car in a remote spot in Wester Ross after leaving Glasgow to drive to his holiday home in Dornie.

A verdict of suicide was recorded, with a gunshot wound behind his right ear found by medical staff, but campaigners have long raised concerns over unexplained aspects of the case, such as the gun being found some distance from the car, and concerns McRae was under surveillance by Special Branch and MI5.

An FAI can be held if it is deemed to be in the public interest to investigate a death which is "sudden suspicious or unexplained", or which has occurred in circumstances giving rise to "serious public concern".

MacNicol added: "For me, 11,000 signatures demonstrates serious public concern."

John Finucane, whose father Pat was murdered in February 1989 by loyalist terrorists, confirmed he had signed the petition. He said: "It is clear concerns remain over the circumstances surrounding the death of Willie McRae and in that regard I fully support the calls for the state to address these concerns in a transparent fashion."

Pat Finucane's family have long campaigned for a full public inquiry into his murder - in 2012, a report commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed agents of the state were involved in his death, but concluded there had been "no overarching state conspiracy".

Annie Machon, left MI5 in 1996 and helped her then partner David Shayler expose how the agency held files on individuals it once considered potentially subversive, including Labour ministers. She said: "The many questions around this case do seem at the very least to merit a Fatal Accident Inquiry."

Last month claims of new evidence emerged, including that McRae's car was initially removed from the scene by police only for it to be returned when the gunshot wound was discovered - and they realised it was not a road traffic accident. Two witnesses who were first on the scene also claimed they were never asked for formal police statements.

However Fergus McRae, brother of Willie, has consistently said he believes his brother shot himself and does not want a FAI into the death.

A Crown Office spokesman said: "Crown Counsel are satisfied with the extensive investigations into the death of William McRae and have instructed that an FAI will not be held into the circumstances of Mr McRae's death."