DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — 3 American citizens curious about a brazen weekend assault on Congo’s presidential palace shaped an not likely band beneath the management of eccentric opposition determine Christian Malanga, who dabbled in gold mining and used automobiles prior to persuading his Utah-born son to enroll in within the foiled coup, in step with officers’ description of occasions.
Six other people, together with Malanga, have been useless and dozens arrested, together with the 3 American citizens, following that assault and some other at the place of dwelling of an in depth best friend of President Felix Tshisekedi, the Congolese military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, mentioned.
Ekenge mentioned Malanga used to be killed in a shootout early Sunday with presidential guards. The placement “is beneath regulate,” he mentioned.
Government mentioned they have been nonetheless looking to untangle how Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, went from taking part in highschool soccer to allegedly looking to unseat the chief of one in every of Africa’s biggest nations.
“My son is blameless,” his mom, Brittney Sawyer, wrote in an e-mail to The Related Press, declining to elaborate.
Sawyer had steadily posted proud circle of relatives pictures on social media, together with one in December appearing Marcel, a tender sister and a baby hugging in matching Christmas pajamas. In 2020, she posted pictures of Marcel lifting weights and dancing throughout COVID lockdown.
In a Fb publish early Monday, Sawyer angrily wrote that her son had adopted his father. “This used to be an blameless boy following his father. I’m so uninterested in all of the movies being posted all over the place and being despatched to me. God will maintain you other people!”
One video that circulated on social media confirmed her son along a bloodied white guy, whose identification used to be unclear, each lined in mud and surrounded via Congolese infantrymen. Marcel has his palms raised and a nervous glance on his face.
It used to be a long way from the character that Marcel perceived to were construction in movies lately posted on Fb and TikTok appearing him posing with stacks of buck expenses and speaking about girls.
His father, Malanga, had described himself on his web site as a refugee who thrived after settling within the U.S. together with his circle of relatives within the Nineties. He mentioned he was a pace-setter of a Congolese opposition political birthday celebration and met high-level officers in Washington and the Vatican. He additionally described himself as a faithful husband and father of 8.
Courtroom information and interviews paint some other image.
In 2001, the yr he grew to become 18, Malanga used to be convicted in Utah in incidents together with attack with a firearm that ended in a 30-day prison sentence and 3 years of probation. That very same yr, he used to be charged with home violence attack in a single incident and battery and demanding the peace in some other, however he pleaded now not to blame and all counts in each instances have been pushed aside.
In 2004, he used to be charged with home violence with danger of the use of a perilous weapon, however he pleaded now not to blame and the fees have been pushed aside. Since 2004, information display a number of instances associated with a custody dispute and a kid strengthen dispute. It’s unclear if the disputes concerned Sawyer.
Malanga’s kin accrued Monday afternoon on the West Jordan house of his mom, Chantal Malanga, to mourn. A gentle drift of pals dropped via with plates of meals and to supply condolences.
Sydney, a cousin of Christian Malanga’s who responded the door, instructed AP the circle of relatives used to be feeling “heartbroken” and “so uncooked” after finding out of his demise. They have been discussing plans for a conceivable funeral in Utah, she mentioned, with out giving additional main points.
Malanga described himself because the organizer of the United Congolese Celebration, a motion aimed toward organizing emigres like him in opposition to the “present Congolese dictatorship govt regime.” He additionally described himself as president of the “New Zaire” govt in exile and printed a manifesto that detailed plans together with growing trade alternatives and reforming Congo’s safety products and services.
Pictures on Fb and his web site display him assembly then-senior U.S. political figures, together with former Utah Rep. Rob Bishop and New York Rep. Peter King.
Bishop instructed AP he didn’t recall the assembly and couldn’t inform when the picture used to be taken. King may now not be reached for remark.
Dino Mahtani, an unbiased researcher into African problems, mentioned he first heard of Malanga in 2018 whilst serving as a political adviser to the United International locations in Congo. He mentioned Congolese government voiced suspicions that Malanga used to be curious about a purported plot to kill then-President Joseph Kabila.
In an interview, Mahtani mentioned he had by no means met Malanga in individual however thinks Malanga used to be obsessive about taking pictures some type of energy in Congo.
He additionally speculated Malanga were arrange or betrayed within the weekend assault, given the unbelievable method it used to be performed.
“Someone put him as much as this. It may well be exterior plotters, however given his earlier shut courting with no less than one in every of Tshiskedi’s present army commanders, there’s some probability the plot used to be recognized about internally and this allowed them to transport briefly,” Mahtani mentioned.
The alleged coup try started on the Kinshasa place of dwelling of Important Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the Nationwide Meeting of Congo. His guards killed the attackers, officers mentioned.
Malanga, in the meantime, used to be live-streaming video from the presidential palace wherein he’s noticed surrounded via a number of other people in army uniforms wandering round in the course of the evening. He used to be later killed whilst resisting arrest, Congolese government mentioned.
Congo officers have now not commented on how the attackers have been ready to get within.
“Its actually tricky to consider how 20, 30 guys concept that via storming the presidential palace when no one is round at 4 a.m. within the morning may in some way take over the Congolese state,” Mahtani mentioned.
A 2d American allegedly concerned used to be known as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, in step with photographs of a U.S. passport circulated via Congolese media. He graduated from the College of Colorado and attended trade management categories at Georgetown College, court docket information point out. He later began a commodity buying and selling trade and labored as a courier and Uber driving force, the information display.
His connection to Malanga seemed to be thru a gold mining corporate that used to be arrange in Mozambique in 2022, in step with an reliable magazine printed via Mozambique’s govt, and a record via Africa Intelligence e-newsletter.
Zalman-Polun pleaded to blame in 2014 to drug trafficking fees within the U.S., admitting that he conspired with a pal to send no less than 20 kilograms of marijuana from a house base in Lake Tahoe, California, to shoppers throughout america. Prosecutors asked leniency, bringing up the “really extensive help” they mentioned he supplied of their investigation.
His legal professional if so didn’t straight away reply to a message in search of remark.
No knowledge used to be launched at the 3rd American.
The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa mentioned it used to be conscious “U.S. electorate would possibly were curious about Sunday’s occasions,” including in a remark that it might cooperate with government “as they examine those violent prison acts.”
___
This tale has been corrected to turn that Zalman-Polun pleaded to blame in 2015.
___
McCombs reported from Salt Lake Town, Utah; Schoenbaum from West Jordan, Utah; and Biesecker from Washington. Related Press writers Christina Malkia in Kinshasa, Congo; Michelle Worth in New York; and Eric Tucker in Washington, contributed to this record.
apnews.com
