Prince Harry’s passport stopped at airport on suspicion of working as a mercenary in war-torn Libya
One of Prince Harry’s closest friends has been stopped by security officials on suspicion of working as a mercenary in war-torn Libya.
Former cavalry officer Jack Mann was questioned by the Maltese police, who disputed his claim that he was on a mission to give medical training.
The Maltese Police confirmed to the Mail that they ‘spoke to the passengers for clarification of the proposed activities in Libya’ and that no further action was taken.
According to local reports Mr. Mann was stopped a few moments before he was supposed to board a private jet that was going to the North African state.
Jack Mann, right, befriended Prince Harry, left, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Pictured: Harry and Mr Mann at a polo match at Ascot in 2015
Mr Mann recently appeared in the fourth episode of the Sussexes Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary series. Pictured: Harry and Mr Mann at a polo match at Ascot in 2015
Libya has been wracked by conflict since the 2011 Arab Spring and the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi later that year.
The Foreign Office advises UK citizens against any travel there. There are also sanctions in place that restrict the activities of British companies in Libya.
Thousands have died in fighting between factions seeking to control the country, which has the ninth largest oil reserves in the world.
The terrorists of the Islamic State occupy the most distant areas of Libya and hundreds of Russian mercenaries of the ‘Wagner Group’ have been observed there. British Special Forces troops were also believed to operate there intermittently.
Mr Mann was pictured among a group of wealthy and privileged men who make up Harry’s inner circle. Pictured: The Duke of Sussex, centre, with Jack Mann, second from right, and other friends at Harry’s wedding in May 2018
Mr Mann recently appeared in the fourth episode of Sussexes Harry & Meghan’s Netflix documentary series, which included previously unseen footage of the couple celebrating at their wedding reception.
Mr Mann, who befriended the prince at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, was pictured among a group of wealthy and privileged men who make up Harry’s inner circle. They agreed overnight at Frogmore House near Windsor Castle with celebrities such as Elton John and Serena Williams.
Prince Harry’s friend is also the son of SAS officer-turned-mercenary Simon Mann, whose alleged bid to topple the Equatorial Guinea government in 2004 led to five years behind bars.
Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, admitted unwittingly that he was a financier after the coup attempt. He said he was deceived by its organizers.
Prince Harry’s friend is also the son of SAS officer-turned-mercenary Simon Mann, pictured, whose alleged bid to topple the Equatorial Guinea government in 2004 led to five years later the bars.
Jack Mann, who served with the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, founded the private security company Alma Risk in 2015. He had previously worked in Libya as a country manager for another UK security company, Aegis Defense Services.
Alma Risk’s website says the company offers ‘a diverse range of security and risk management services to corporate and private clients’.
Mann and his colleagues, including other former British soldiers, were stopped at an airport on the Mediterranean island, located 223 miles north of Libya.
A Maltese source told the Mail: ‘On 10 December they were not allowed to board a private jet on suspicion of being mercenaries. The aircrew suspected that their claim that they were traveling to Libya to offer medical training was false.’
Last night Mr Mann said: ‘We did not continue the journey from Malta [to Libya] on the advice of Maltese immigration to rectify our paperwork before traveling onward. The matter was resolved within five days and the United Nations confirmed that there had been no breach of sanctions. They are [Alma Risk] they are free to give the training.
‘I previously visited Libya in my role as a private security consultant. Any suggestion that this project involved “mercenaries” is categorically untrue and would be damaging to me personally and professionally.’
The Mail has learned that the Libyan bureaucracy held by Mann and his British colleagues was looked into by the authorities. According to senior Maltese sources their documents, provided to them by their hosts in Libya, said that the private security team will be visiting the country to provide ‘advanced anti-terrorism training’ to the Libyan Special Forces .
The Maltese asked for clarification from the United Nations. Any military training would have constituted a violation of the UN arms and military training embargoes.
Mr Mann’s party was adamant they were only visiting Libya to provide medical training, which is allowed under UN guidelines.
The UN did a short investigation at the request of the Maltese and was given more paperwork by Mr. Mann’s Libyan hosts who confirm that they were visiting the country to provide medical training.
A Maltese source said: ‘The paperwork from the Libyans was written incorrectly. It looked like they were going to break the rules. We subsequently established that this was not the case and the documents were misleading.’