By Nigel Pfunde
United Kingdom- FORMER British Army officer and mercenary Simon Mann has died
He died Friday aged 72.
Mann ‘s ‘claim to fame’ is his role in the failed 2004 coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea where he was busted at Robert Mugabe International airport.
He suffered a heart attack .
Mann amassed a fortune providing security for companies operating in conflict zones before becoming involved in an ill-fated plan to oust the West African country’s long-standing president Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
Despite his prominent role, Mann later described himself as the “manager, not the architect” of the coup attempt.
Mann was initially imprisoned at Chikurubi Maximum Prison on arms charges and later extradited to Equatorial Guinea, where he was sentenced to 34 years in the notorious Black Beach prison.
He was pardoned and released in 2009.
At Chikurubi he was a cellmate to businessman Wicknell Chivayo who was serving time for two million rand fraud and they developed a close relations.
In his book titlef “Cry Havoc” on page 297, he stated that Chivayo promised to organise a gun for him on his extradition to Equatorial Guinea.
Educated at the prestigious Eton College and trained at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, Mann went on to serve in the elite SAS, rising to the rank of commander. Reflecting on the failed coup in 2011, Mann claimed the plot was ultimately thwarted by the CIA. Following his release, he expressed remorse, acknowledging that financial gain should never outweigh moral considerations.
