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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Matthew Weaver

THE TRUTH ABOUT: Simon mann mercenary behind failed wonga coup dies aged 72 | History Defined

Simon Mann
Simon Mann previously served in the Scots Guards and the SAS before setting up a number of security firms specialised in protecting oil installations. Photograph: Julian Andrews/REX/Shutterstock

Simon Mann, an Eton and Sandhurst-educated ex-SAS officer, who led a botched coup involving Margaret Thatcher’s son to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, has died aged 72.

Mann led a group of 70 fellow mercenaries who were arrested in Zimbabwe in 2004 for attempting to topple Equatorial Guinea’s despotic president, Teodoro Obiang.

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