Thatcher met coup conspirators, court told

Mark Thatcher, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's son, met with the alleged top coup conspirator in the months before an alleged foiled plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, one of the defendants told a court today.

Nick du Toit, a South African arms dealer facing the death penalty for his alleged role, said that Thatcher was interested only in purchasing military hardware that was not involved in the alleged coup plot.

Answering questions about whether the contact was about the coup plot, du Toit said: “Not at all, this was a normal business deal.”

Eighty-nine men are on trial in Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe for an alleged internationally-backed conspiracy to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, Africa’s third-biggest oil producer.

South Africa announced today that authorities there arrested Thatcher in connection with the coup.

Du Toit told the court in Malabo today that Mann had brought Thatcher together with Du Toit in July 2003 in South Africa.

But Du Toit said he was interested only in buying military helicopters for what Thatcher said was one of his mining deals with Sudan.

Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea said the country may pursue extradition for Thatcher.