If he is he would be about 85.
In 1981, Hoare, who was living in South Africa, led a madcap attempt to overthrow the government of Seychelles.
Hoare and 43 mercenaries arrived pretending to be rugby players and members of a beer-drinking group called the Ancient Order of Frothblowers. But the coup attempt was foiled when a customs official spotted an AK-47 assault rifle in the luggage of one of the mercenaries.
After a brief gunbattle most of the mercenaries escaped by hijacking an Air India jet. On his return to South Africa Hoare was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison.
There isn't much news on him since then, but it is likely that he would have been involved in some form of business such as 'contract soldiers' or 'private military companies' (PMC's) which evolved from many his exploits as hired mercenaries.
During the first Gulf War, one out of every 50 soldiers on the battlefield was a mercenary. The number rose to one in 10 during the Bosnian war.
But the present-day land of mercenary opportunity is Iraq, where the US government in its eagerness to downsize the numbers of regular troops is handing out big contracts to private security firms.
There are currently thousands of soldiers under contract with private companies serving in Iraq. Their duties range from airport security and guarding oil installations to protecting members of the interim government.
The high salaries paid to mercenaries and their favourable terms of employment are said to be affecting the morale of regular troops in Iraq, even relatively well-paid American soldiers.
