Simon Mann, the infamous British mercenary known for his endeavor to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, passed away on May 8 at the age of 72 from a heart attack.
Simon Mann, Notorious British Mercenary and Coup Plotter, Passes Away at 72
Simon Mann, Notorious British Mercenary and Coup Plotter, Passes Away at 72
A former SAS officer, Mann gained infamy for his attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea, leaving a complex legacy behind.
In a dim airport hangar in Harare during March 2004, Simon Mann, a decorated British mercenary and Special Air Service officer, faced a grim reality when he was apprehended by ten men from the Zimbabwean secret police. As he was cuffed and aware of his perilous situation, Mann ominously recalled in his memoir, "Cry Havoc," the chaos that marked the failure of his elaborate plot to dethrone the dictator of Equatorial Guinea, describing it as a “whole [expletive] shambles.”
Despite his infamous fall from grace, Mann gained a peculiar kind of notoriety. A product of Eton and a former Scots Guardsman, his lifestyle as a wealthy country squire was juxtaposed against the backdrop of his ambitions in the mercenary world. The press, both serious and sensationalist, was captivated by what became known as the Wonga Coup—a term coined from a letter Mann sent during his imprisonment wherein he requested a "splodge of wonga," or a substantial sum of money, to his wife.
Mann breathed his last in his London home, with reports indicating that his heart gave out while he was exercising on a rowing machine. His passing marks the conclusion of a controversial chapter for a figure described as the "most notorious and best paid mercenary of my generation," a title he claimed in his memoir. His complex legacy intertwines military valor, scandal, and an insatiable hunger for notoriety.
Despite his infamous fall from grace, Mann gained a peculiar kind of notoriety. A product of Eton and a former Scots Guardsman, his lifestyle as a wealthy country squire was juxtaposed against the backdrop of his ambitions in the mercenary world. The press, both serious and sensationalist, was captivated by what became known as the Wonga Coup—a term coined from a letter Mann sent during his imprisonment wherein he requested a "splodge of wonga," or a substantial sum of money, to his wife.
Mann breathed his last in his London home, with reports indicating that his heart gave out while he was exercising on a rowing machine. His passing marks the conclusion of a controversial chapter for a figure described as the "most notorious and best paid mercenary of my generation," a title he claimed in his memoir. His complex legacy intertwines military valor, scandal, and an insatiable hunger for notoriety.
