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A criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in the District of Utah charged four U.S. citizens with conspiring to unlawfully carry out a coup d’état in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Marcel Malanga, 22, Tyler Thompson, 22, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37, and Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, are charged with conspiracy to provide material support and resources, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb places of government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country, among other offenses, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, left, Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
CONGO COMMUTES 3 AMERICANS’ DEATH SENTENCES FOLLOWING COUP ATTEMPT
The men are accused of conducting an armed coup, specifically targeting DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Vital Kamerhe, attacking both the Palais de la Nation — the official home and principal workplace of the president — and Kamerhe’s private home in Kinshasa, DRC.
At least six people died during the attack, including two police officers protecting Kamerhe’s home, and at least one innocent civilian.
The DOJ said the goal of the operation was to murder President Félix Tshisekedi, Kamerhe and others, establish a new government known as the New Zaire, and install leader Christian Malanga, who died during the coup, as the president of the New Zaire.
Rebecca Higbee the mother of Tyler Thompson, points to her son and his friend Marcel during his 21st birthday with his family on May 30, 2024, in West Jordan, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Marcel Malanga identified himself as the “Chief of Staff of the Zaire army“; Polun was Christian Malanga’s chief of staff; Moesser was the explosives maker, technician and supplier; and Thompson was a soldier, drone specialist and operator, according to the complaint.
Christian Malanga, Marcel Malanga, Thompson, Polun and Moesser allegedly conspired to provide material support and resources including services, training, expert advice or assistance, communication equipment, weapons, explosives, and personnel to the rebel army which was formed to overthrow the DRC government.
Tyler Thompson Jr, addresses the court in Kinshasa with 52 other defendants Friday June 7, 2024, accused of a role in last month’s attempted coup in Congo, led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga, in which six people were killed. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
FLASHBACK: 3 AMERICANS IN CONGO SENTENCED TO DEATH AFTER COUP ATTEMPT
The DOJ also accused the men of conspiring to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction during the coup.
They allegedly planned to use bombs that could be deployed to their targets, including people, private homes and public buildings, via drones.
In addition, they intended to attach a flamethrower device to a drone and use it as an incendiary device to light people on fire.
Thompson unpacks the flamethrower drone attachment from its box and displays it for the camera. (U.S. Department of Justice)
Earlier this month, the DRC president commuted Marcel Malanga, Thompson and Polun’s death sentences, switching them to life imprisonment.
If convicted, the men face a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison for each count of conspiring to provide material support and resources, and up to life in prison for each count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb places of government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country.
Malanga and Thompson, if convicted, would also each face a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison for each count of taking a firearm out of the U.S. to engage in a felony.
Defendants were seen in a social media livestream during the attempted coup. (U.S. Department of Justice)
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Malanga, Thompson and Polun are expected to make their initial appearances at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York. Moesser is expected to make his initial appearance on April 10 at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After their initial appearances in New York, it is expected that Malanga, Thompson and Polun will appear in Salt Lake City for further legal proceedings.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, with assistance by the FBI New York Field Office and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi, Kenya, which oversees the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
