ANDREW MITCHELL & COLONEL GADDAFI (THE UNTOLD STORY) Andrew John Bower Mitchell (born 23 March 1956) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sutton Coldfield since 2001, having previously been MP for Gedling from 1987 to 1997. He served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development from 2010 to 2012, and then briefly as Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons. Andrew Mitchell resigned in October 2012 after losing the confidence of many of his colleagues following an altercation with police officers at Downing Street, when he allegedly called them F*****g Plebs. In September 2013, the Daily Telegraph reported in an article entitled Secret MI6 plot to help Colonel Gaddafi escape Libya revealed that - during the 2011 NATO bombing campaign in Libya - Andrew Mitchell, then International Development Secretary, was dispatched to build covert contacts with the controversial regime in Equatorial Guinea. The Cabinet Office and MI6 had prepared an exit strategy for Gaddafi in case it was necessary to strike a deal and to end the conflict, and Equatorial Guinea, oil-rich but awesomely corrupt, was selected for Colonel Gaddafi as a prospective retirement home. Although Britain has no bilateral links with Equatorial Guinea, contributing only small amounts in aid, Mr Mitchell was able to assist the officials tasked with these delicate contingency plans, helping make the necessary contacts in the capital, Malabo, and elsewhere. Ultimately, Colonel Gaddafi was killed by rebels as he tried to flee Sirte on 20 October 2011. It was believed that he was heading for the border of Niger at the time of his death. His 50-car convoy was attacked by Nato airplanes before rebels attacked on the ground. Colonel Gaddafi was tortured before he was killed. It has previously been reported that Colonel Gaddafi was being escorted by a group of South African mercenaries when he came under attack. One of the South Africans subsequently claimed that they believed the escape attempt was operating with tacit support from Western countries. However, the group drove into an ambush with sustained air strikes from French warplanes and ground attacks from rebel fighters. Equatorial Guinea gained notoriety after an unsuccessful coup attempt in 2004, led by the old Etonian Simon Mann and involving Margaret Thatchers son Mark Thatcher. The Wonga Coup failed after a group of mercenaries were arrested in Zimbabwe shortly before launching an attack. Although the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Colonel Gaddafi, Equatorial Guinea’s refusal to recognise the court’s authority would have kept Colonel Gaddafi outside its reach. It is believed that some of the mercenaries involved in the Equatorial Guinea coup were also involved in the attempt to extract Gaddafi. (wikispooks/wiki/Andrew_Mitchell)
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 21:35:34 +0000
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