Zimbabwe talks of death for "mercenaries"

[UpInArms]

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=473068§ion=news

HARARE/DAKAR (Reuters) - Zimbabwe has threatened to execute a band of "foreign mercenaries" detained in Harare and Equatorial Guinea, accusing them of being part of a plot funded by "enemy powers" and multinational corporations.

The two developments, in countries 2,000 miles apart, came three days after Zimbabwe detained a Boeing 727 carrying more than 60 South Africans, Angolans and Namibians.

<snip>

"In the course of questioning, we have found that they were financed by enemy powers, by multinational companies, by countries that do not love us," Obiang said in the speech, broadcast by state radio and television.

He thanked South Africa and Angola for warning him of the plot, but added:

"There are other countries who knew about this attempt and did not contribute information. We will have to qualify them as enemies. Multinational firms operating here and outside who contributed to this operation are also enemy companies."

...more...

[maddezmom]

1. this story keeps getting stanger n/t

[Khephra]

2. A plane full of mercs that went down in South America

Was one of the first events that led into Iran/Contra, iirc. I wonder what may come of this event?

[maddezmom]

3. British Special Forces on the plane?

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe authorities alleged that a cargo plane impounded in Harare on suspicion of carrying 64 mercenaries was hired by a South African mercenary organization and British special forces, state television reported.

The television said Tuesday that investigations in Zimbabwe showed the plane, impounded late Sunday at the main Harare international airport, was linked to a South African firm known as "Executive Outcomes" that in the past hired mostly former apartheid era South African soldiers for mercenary and security work across Africa.

The television quoted Zimbabwe Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi saying British SAS, or Special Air Service, forces were believed also to have been involved.

More:http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/international-1/1078919941101540.xml

[DoNotRefill]

4. Yuppers.....mercs are known....

for running around without ANY weapons. It was a private plane, so the commercial rules for guns on planes doesn't exist, they could have had them. Hell, I'm not a merc, and I carry a handgun every day for self-protection. I've got a radio and some old camo clothing, too. I don't have an inflatable dinghy, but I do have a pair of waders, so I guess I would count as a merc by their definition...

The tools they seized were things like sledgehammers and boltcutters. Just what's necessary to storm a capital...

[el_gato]

5. Mercenaries have been used by mining corporations before

death for profit is the norm

[DoNotRefill]

8. Just from personal experience....

I've carried guns on commercial planes and private planes. When flying commercial, the guns must be declared and checked in checked luggage while unloaded. There are other requirements as far as storage, how the ammo must be packed, et cetera, but that's not germane. When flying private, you must check with the chartering agency to see if they have a policy against it, but if they don't, it's legal.

Sometimes, local friends and I will charter "puddle-jumpers" together to take us to shoots around the country. It's cheaper than all flying commercial, with less hassles about transporting machineguns and bulk ammo. There's also less worry about what the idiot baggage handlers will do. When we do this, we often clean our guns on the return flight. No muss, no fuss, we just make sure the charter company and pilot/crew knows beforehand, and show them copies of our BATFE approved Form 5320.20s. Of course, sometimes we supply our own pilots (depending on the type of craft and who is going), so it's never an issue then.

On edit: Oops, you changed your post while I was typing my reply. Anyway, I'll leave the info up.

[Ganja Ninja]

6. They knew the job was dangerous when they took it.

Maybe it will drive up the cost of hirelings for Bush Co.

[chiburb]

7. Here's some CURIOUS info....

When asked about it on Monday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said "We have no indication this aircraft is connected to the U.S. government."

That seemed like a rather less than unequivocal response. And behind the scenes US government officials said they didn't believe the US government had any connection with this operation. But they wanted to make sure before saying anything definitive.

Now, if you look at the press accounts, what's caught people's attention is the US registry of the plane. Specifically, it's registered to a company called Dodson Aviation, which is based in Kansas.

Now, Dodson says they sold the plane to a "reputable" firm in South Africa about a week ago. "I think they were going to use it for charter flights," company director Robert Dodson told the Associated Press.

Now here's a little more detail.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

[maddezmom]

9. looks like Dodson sold it to their own SA firm

thanks for the link, lots of interesting info.

[Festivito]

10. Opps, I need more sleep, link to other DU thread.

I recalled reading that the plane flew away yesterday, instead I had read it had illegally left a different airport.

My bad.

ON EDIT: Here's the DU link.
Seized plane left South Africa illegally
Topic started by dArKeR on Mar-09-04 11:06 AM (42 replies)
Last modified by 54anickel on Mar-09-04 07:58 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=409859

[chiburb]

11. No, it took off from SA "illegally"...

Not Zimbabwe...

[GregW]

12. I wonder if the deal was made in Denmark ...

... on a dark and stormy day?

:shrug:

[UpInArms]

13. related article: SA pilot on 'mercenary' plane

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1495804,00.html

Pretoria - Niel Steyl, the pilot of the Boeing 727-100 that was impounded in Zimbabwe, used to be a commercial pilot in Bethlehem, Free State.

Another pilot on board was Hendrik Hamman, a farmer from Namibia.

Both apparently flew similar Boeings for the now-defunct Executive Outcomes company that provided military assistance in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the civil wars in those countries.

Steyl apparently hit the headlines two years ago when he was one of the two captains of a Boeing 727 that took the enigmatic and controversial King Leka I, self-proclaimed ruler of Albania, back to his homeland after years in exile in South Africa.

...more...

[dArKeR]

14. Where was flight N4610 heading? - IOL

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=vn20040310081125342C951468&set_id=1

[dArKeR]

15. 'Mercenaries' all ex-SADF - News24

Pretoria - The men arrested aboard a captured plane in Zimbabwe are all former South African National Defence (SANDF) soldiers from Unit 32, based in Namibia, a diplomatic source said on Wednesday.

The source told Sapa that the plane had indeed been transporting mercenaries to Equatorial Guinea, and it stopped over in Zimbabwe to pick up the weapons from a military depot.

Beeld alleges the weapons were manufactured by Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), which it alleges was paid US$180 000 for the weapons.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1496198,00.html

[dArKeR]

16. 'SA president tipped us off' - News24 'SA president tipped us off'

Malabo - Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has thanked South Africa and Angola for being "friendly" countries and tipping him off to the impending arrival of a flight carrying susepcted mercenaries.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1496151,00.html

[dArKeR]

17. 'Mercenary plane': It's all a 'misunderstanding' - MG

The detention of an aircraft, and its crew and passengers, in Harare, was all part of a "dreadful misunderstanding," the plane's owner, Logo Logistics, said on Wednesday.

"It is all a dreadful misunderstanding. These things happen very often for reasons that seem very plausible to the authorities at the time," Charles Burrow, a senior executive at Logo told Sapa. He was speaking by phone from London.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=32457