Simon Mann, the former British Army officer and mercenary involved in a failed coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea in 2004, has passed away from a heart attack while exercising, as confirmed by friends. At 72 years old, Mann had accumulated significant wealth by providing protection to businesses in areas of conflict before his involvement in the botched overthrow of the leader of a west African nation.
Following the coup attempt, Mann was convicted on arms charges and received a hefty sentence of 34 years in prison. Despite his role in the operation, Mann maintained that he had only served as the “manager, not the architect” of the scheme. In 2009, he was granted a pardon and released, being given a mere 48 hours to depart the country.
The thwarted plot aimed to topple President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, with Mann and his co-conspirators initially planning to install exiled opposition figure Severo Moto in his place. The scheme was exposed after authorities in Harare, Zimbabwe seized an aircraft arriving from South Africa. More than 60 individuals, including Mann, were apprehended, with allegations of being mercenaries, although they claimed to be providing security for a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mann’s background included education at Eton and training at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, followed by service in the Scots Guards and eventually the SAS, where he would become a commander. Reflecting on the failed coup in Equatorial Guinea, Mann asserted that the CIA had played a role in its collapse. Despite spending time in Zimbabwean and Equatorial Guinean prisons, he ultimately received a pardon, expressing remorse for his actions and emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations over financial gain
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