FOUR Americans are facing life imprisonment after their alleged participation in a bloody coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was thwarted, according to federal prosecutors who unsealed charges against them today.
Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, and Joseph Peter Moesser have appeared in federal court to face a litany of charges including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government facilities, and conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country.
The defendants, who narrowly escaped execution in the DRC after President Félix Tshisekedi commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment, have been transferred to U.S. custody where they now face American justice.
“The United States categorically condemns any attempt by American citizens to violently overthrow foreign governments,” said a U.S. Department of State spokesperson in a written statement. “These alleged actions represent a flagrant violation of international law and undermine decades of U.S. diplomatic efforts to promote peaceful democratic transitions globally.”
According to court documents, the defendants launched what prosecutors dubbed an “Armed Coup Attack” on the Congolese presidential palace and the private residence of Deputy Prime Minister Vital Kamerhe. The assault left at least six people dead, including two police officers and one civilian.
The complaint alleges a plot of startling sophistication and brutality: the conspirators allegedly planned to deploy bomb-laden drones against government targets and even outfit unmanned aircraft with flamethrowers “to light people on fire.”
Their objective, prosecutors say, was to install Christian Malanga – Marcel’s now-deceased father – as president of a new government they planned to call “New Zaire,” referencing the country’s former name.
Marcel Malanga, just 22, allegedly styled himself as the “Chief of Staff of the Zaire army,” while Zalman-Polun, 37, served as Christian Malanga’s chief of staff. Court documents identify Thompson, 22, as a soldier and drone specialist, while Moesser, 67, allegedly served as the group’s explosives technician.
