6:13pm UK, Sunday November 28, 2004

The Government had full details of a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea as early as January, according to the Observer.  

Sir Mark Thatcher is accused of helping to fund the alleged coup, which collapsed after a group a mercenaries was detained in Zimbabwe.

180 Sir Mark Thatcher leaves court

Sir Mark Thatcher

The newspaper says Foreign Secretary Jack Straw failed to warn the government of the oil-rich West African country about the plans. 

Earlier this month, Equatorial Guinea sought an explanation from Britain and demanded to know where the information had originated.  

On March 7, Zimbabwe seized a US-registered cargo plane which was carrying 64 suspected mercenaries and a cargo of military gear.  

One day later, 15 suspected mercenaries were arrested in Equatorial Guinea in a probe linked to the plane.  

Authorities in both countries accused those arrested of being part of a scheme to overthrow Equatorial Guinea's government.  

The Observer said that in December 2003 and January 2004, two highly detailed reports of the planned coup from a former commander in South Africa's special forces were sent to two senior officers in British intelligence and to a senior colleague of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.