Simon Mann arrives back in the UK

Wed Nov 4 2009 15:55:04

Freed mercenary Simon Mann has said coming back to the UK is "the most wonderful homecoming" after arriving back at Luton aiport.

The former soldier was unexpectedly freed from an African prison on Tuesday.

Police now want to quiz him over the bungled Equatorial Guinea coup that left him facing a 34-year jail term.

Serious questions remain over the plot. The plan collapsed when Mann and 70 mercenaries were held on an airport runway in Harare, Zimbabwe, in March 2004.

Mann, 57, claimed during his trial that several other prominent figures helped organise and finance the plot in London. He said his friend Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former prime minister Baroness Thatcher, was "part of the management team".

Sir Mark was given a suspended sentence in South Africa in relation to funding the operation. He has always denied any knowledge that a coup was being plotted and issued a statement welcoming news of Mann's release.

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