Four U.S. citizens have been charged with conspiring to carry out a coup d’état in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, targeting President Félix Tshisekedi and Deputy Prime Minister Vital Kamerhe. The armed coup resulted in at least six deaths, including two police officers and one civilian. The alleged goal was to establish a new government called the New Zaire and install Christian Malanga as president. The defendants are accused of providing material support, acquiring weapons of mass destruction, and planning to use drones to deploy bombs and incendiary devices.
The men have been identified as Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, and Joseph Peter Moesser, each with specific roles in the conspiracy. Marcel Malanga claimed to be the Chief of Staff of the Zaire army, while Polun served as Christian Malanga’s chief of staff. Moesser was responsible for creating and supplying explosives, and Thompson was a soldier and drone specialist. They allegedly conspired to provide support to a rebel army aiming to overthrow the DRC government, as well as acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction during the coup.
Despite being sentenced to death after the coup attempt, the DRC president commuted Marcel Malanga, Thompson, and Polun’s sentences to life imprisonment. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 15 years in prison for each count of conspiring to provide material support and resources, as well as life imprisonment for charges related to weapons of mass destruction, bombing government facilities, and killing or kidnapping individuals in a foreign country. Malanga and Thompson could face additional charges for taking firearms out of the U.S. for felonious purposes.
The accused individuals are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court, with Malanga, Thompson, and Polun appearing in New York and Moesser in Salt Lake City. The investigation is being led by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, with support from the FBI New York Field Office and the Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi, Kenya, which oversees the DRC. Further legal proceedings are expected to take place in Salt Lake City, with the potential for additional charges and penalties for the defendants if found guilty of the various conspiracy offenses.
In summary, four U.S. citizens have been charged in connection with a coup attempt in the DRC. The defendants allegedly conspired to overthrow the government, targeting top officials and causing deaths during the armed attack. Despite having their death sentences commuted, they are facing serious charges related to providing material support and resources, acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction, and planning to deploy explosives via drones. The legal process is ongoing, with initial appearances scheduled in New York and Salt Lake City, as the FBI continues to investigate the case.
