Four individuals, including three Americans, have been charged in the US with participating in a plot to overthrow the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The charges stem from allegations that led to the defendants’ detention in Congo, where they were initially sentenced to death before having their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
In a surprising move, the three Americans were repatriated to the United States, bringing an end to their imprisonment in Congo. Marcel Malanga, 22, Tyler Thompson Jr., 22, and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37, were brought back to US soil on Tuesday, marking a shift in the case.
At the center of the plot is Marcel Malanga, the son of opposition figure Christian Malanga. According to prosecutors, Marcel Malanga identified himself as the “Chief of Staff of the Zaire army” and acted as a leader of the rebel forces. His father, Christian Malanga, had described himself as a refugee who settled in the US with his family in the 1990s. He had also been convicted in Utah of assault with a firearm in 2001.
The plot allegedly involved providing weapons, explosives, and support to a rebel army with the goal of establishing a new government, “New Zaire,” with Christian Malanga as president. Joseph Peter Moesser, a 67-year-old explosives expert, is accused of providing training and support to the plot. He allegedly provided explosives training at his Utah home and contributed weapons to the cause.
Now back in the US, the four individuals will face charges in court. Marcel Malanga, Thompson, and Zalman-Polun are expected to make their first court appearance in Brooklyn, while Moesser will appear in Salt Lake City. The charges against them include conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country. If convicted, they could face lengthy prison sentences.