Four American citizens have been charged in connection with a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday, following their repatriation from Congo earlier this week. Among the defendants is Marcel Malanga, 22, the son of Christian Malanga, the Congolese-American opposition leader who led the attempted overthrow of the Congolese government in May 2023. Christian Malanga was killed by Congolese forces during the operation, which targeted President Félix Tshisekedi’s palace in Kinshasa. His son allegedly livestreamed portions of the attack and assumed a leadership role in the plot, identifying himself as “Chief of Staff of the Zaire Army.”
The three repatriated Americans — Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., 22, and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37 — were originally detained and sentenced to death by Congolese authorities. Their sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment before being transferred to U.S. custody Tuesday. A fourth man, Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, a former U.S. military contractor and alleged explosives expert, was charged separately and is scheduled to appear in court in Salt Lake City.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, the FBI’s investigation alleges that the men conspired to provide weapons, explosives, and tactical support to a rebel militia seeking to topple the Congolese government and establish a new regime called “New Zaire,” with Christian Malanga as president. Prosecutors say Moesser trained members of the group in handling explosives at his Utah home and also provided weapons. The complaint charges all four men with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country—charges that carry the potential for life sentences if convicted.
Court documents reveal Christian Malanga was a Congolese native who fled to the U.S. in the 1990s, later becoming involved in political activism. He had a criminal history in Utah, including a firearm assault conviction in 2001, and ran a shadow government-in-exile while engaging in used car sales and gold mining. The timing of the men’s repatriation coincided with ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Congo on a potential critical minerals deal, which includes U.S. security support in exchange for access to strategic resources like cobalt and lithium.
While Tyler Thompson’s attorney has declined to comment, legal representation for the other defendants has yet to be confirmed. The three repatriated men are expected to appear in court in Brooklyn, while Moesser will face his charges in Utah. The case marks a rare instance of U.S. citizens being prosecuted domestically for participating in a coup plot abroad.
