SCOTTISH football club Hearts has launched an investigation after an image of loyalist killer Michael Stone appeared at its stadium.
Tagging the X accounts of the club and sponsor, the message below the old image of Stone which appeared on a giant screen read: “My mate michaels first game in years, here’s an old photo of him coming through the turnstiles #jamtarts.”
The Edinburgh club has apologised and launched an investigation into the incident, saying its fans’ social service had been “abused”.
The photographs of Stone, one of the Troubles’ most notorious killers, appeared on the screen at Hearts’ Tyncastle stadium ahead of Saturday’s evening kick-off.
Tagging the X accounts of the club and sponsor, the message below the old image of Stone read: “My mate michaels fist game in years, here’s an old photo of him coming through the turnstiles #jamtarts.”
Photos of the incident have been widely circulated online.
Sixty-nine year-old Stone was convicted of the ‘Milltown Massacre’, in which three people were killed at an IRA funeral in 1988.
Released from prison in 2000 under the Good Friday Agreement, the one-time UDA man was charged with the attempted murder of Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams in 2026, after he was arrested while trying enter the Parliament Buildings at Stormont.
He was convicted and sentenced in 2008 to a further 16 years in prison before being released on parole in 2021.
Hearts have apologised and vowed to review the club’s procedures.
A spokesperson said: “Our fans’ social service was abused by someone online, leading to an image appearing on the stadium’s big screens, and we apologise for any offence caused.
