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BBCFormer British soldier Simon Mann has expressed regret for his part in a foiled plot to overthrow the leader of Equatorial Guinea.
Mann, 57, has arrived back in the UK after being pardoned and released from jail in the West African state.
He had been sentenced to 34 years, but was pardoned on Tuesday along with four South Africans.
Before leaving, Mann said: "I regret what happened in 2004. It was wrong and I'm happy that we did not succeed."
Speaking in the country's capital, Malabo, Mann thanked the authorities.
Health problems
"I am extremely grateful not only for my pardon but for the way in which I've been treated from the moment I arrived here in Equatorial Guinea in 2008," he said.
Mann had admitted in court plotting to oust Equatorial Guinea's president, but had said he was only "a pawn" in the plot.
He had implicated London-based Lebanese millionaire Ely Calil and Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in the coup.
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