Hero Brit Phillip Mawer, 68, killed by ISIS-linked terrorists in RPG hotel escape

Hero Brit Phillip Mawer, 68, killed by ISIS-linked terrorists in RPG hotel escape Phillip Mawer's colleague said the threat of terrorist activity was known, but they believed the military presence around Palma was enough to protect workers if an attack took place A British project manager was killed by an RPG fired by ISIS-linked terrorists as he desperately tried to escape a besieged hotel, an inquest heard. Phillip Mawer, 59, had been trapped at the Amarula Hotel in Palma, Mozambique, after the area came under attack from the ISIS-linked terror group Al-Shabaab. He had declined a place on an evacuation the previous day, but as the situation worsened on March 26, he fled as part of a convoy. Shortly after setting off, the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, causing injuries which left him instantly unconscious and killed him. Winchester Coroner’s Court heard Phillip, originally from Somerset, had been working as country manager for RA International as it prepared accommodation for workers connected to a major gas project in the region. The company provides construction and other services in challenging environments, which Phillip had worked across several African countries. He had also spent around a decade doing business in Mozambique and had convinced RA International’s CEO Soraya Narfeldt that his knowledge and connections made him the right person for the job. The court heard terrorist activity in the area was already known before Phillip began working in Palma, although the threat had been assessed as low enough for the project to continue. Staff had been evacuated in December 2020 following an order from the energy companies and Mozambique government, before the decision was reversed the following month and work resumed. Much of the terrorist activity in the region was linked to Al-Shabaab. He was staying at the Amarula Hotel with his friend and fellow project manager Gordon Rhattigan when the attack began. Which Gordon said the pair had been working at the RA International site on March 24 when Phillip suggested returning to the hotel for lunch. However after Gordan declined he went alone. Mr Rhattigan described what happened: “I had been working for RA for three years. 100 per cent we’d been aware of these issues since November. It hadn’t changed since December. “From the time I got there and well before, Phil had been reporting from RA that there had been weekly attacks and on the outskirts of the village. There was an instance where they took a village and took all the people to a football field and beheaded them there. “But they then started attacking villages in the north as well as the south. It was in the backs of all our heads that something could happen but we believed that 700 staff from the Mozambique military was more than adequate to deal with whatever did happen. “The threat was to everybody. On March 24 was the first day of the attack. The direct attack on the village. I went to the site office. It was chaotic at the time. It was a very fluid situation so it was changing every 30 seconds or minute.” RA International advised Phillip to remain at the hotel when it was able to communicate with him. On March 25, Dyck Advisory Group evacuated 23 people from the hotel, but Phillip declined to leave with them. The following day, he joined another convoy as tensions escalated, but the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by an RPG shortly after setting off. Phillip was later identified using dental records. Home Office pathologist Dr Russell Delaney told the inquest the injuries caused by the blast would have killed him very quickly. Dr Delaney said: “RPGs have various types, shoulder launched military anti tank weapons designed to penetrate many inches of armour. They have an effective range of a few hundred metres. “It’s designed to be initiated on impact and a metal jet to pierce armour and penetrate other structures like brick or concrete walls. It will cause severe damage to things in its path. “It was found [Mr Mawer] had suffered a traumatic amputation of left upper limb which led to severe bleeding. There was instant catastrophic haemorrhage, spinal cord and brain stem damage which would have caused instant unconscious and death. “These injuries were not survivable.” Gorsdn later paid tribute to his friend, he said: “Philip was very kind, very funny, and very down to earth. He was honest. “I really enjoyed working with him and I had been looking forward to working with him for a while. He was very well liked and respected by Palma and all the companies there. It’s not the easiest place to work in or get supplies. He got that it was a community of different companies. He was a really good guy.” RA International’s CEO Soraya Narfeldt added: “My best memory with him was watching world cup rugby with him, and I’d ended up on the Welsh side. He was a great guy. “He was very much loved, especially in Mozambique. He knew the country so intimately, that’s how he convinced me to give him to job. The whole team would talk to him between calls.” The five-day inquest continues.