World
3 Americans in Congo sentenced to death after coup attempt
Three American citizens have been sentenced to death in Congo after being convicted on charges of participating in a coup attempt, with one telling a court that his father — who led the failed effort — “had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders.”
A lawyer representing 21-year-olds Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson Jr. and 36-year-old Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, is now planning to appeal the verdict following the botched attack orchestrated by Malanga’s father, Christian Malanga, in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.
“We have seen that a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced a number of defendants, including U.S. citizens, to death for alleged involvement in the May 19th attacks against the government,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Friday. “We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court’s decision. Embassy staff have been attending these proceedings … We’ll continue to attend the proceedings and follow the developments closely.”
When asked if he thought the court process was fair, Miller responded, “I don’t want to pass judgment on the proceedings so far, because we are still in the middle of the legal process.”
AMERICANS IN ALLEGED CONGO COUP PLOT FORMED AN UNLIKELY BAND
Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, left, Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday Sept. 13. (AP/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt, including Christian Malanga, who was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said.
Marcel Malanga, who is a U.S. citizen, told a court during the case that his father had forced him and his high school friend to take part in the attack, according to The Associated Press.
“Dad had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders,” Marcel Malanga reportedly said.
Other members of the ragtag militia recounted similar threats from the elder Malanga, and some described being duped into believing they were working for a volunteer organization, the AP adds. Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, maintains that her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile.
FLASHBACK: CONGO HASN’T ALLOWED US ACCESS TO AMERICANS ARRESTED IN COUP ATTEMPT, EMBASSY SAYS
American Marcel Malanga, fourth right, stands with others during the court verdict on Friday. (AP/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
Thompson Jr. flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Zalman-Polun is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.
Thompson’s family says he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s intentions, no plans for political activism and didn’t even plan to enter Congo. He and the Malangas were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told the AP.
“We urge all who have supported Tyler and the family throughout this process to write to your congressmen and request their assistance in bringing him home,” their lawyer in Utah, Skye Lazaro, said to the news agency, adding that the family is heartbroken over the verdict.
Sen. Mike Lee and a spokesperson for Sen. Mitt Romney said they are both engaged with the State Department over the matter.
Weapons and military uniforms used by the accused of a failed alleged coup attempt are displayed at the first hearing of the trial at the Ndolo Prison in Kinshasa on June 7, 2024. (Arsene Mpiana/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian were sentenced to death after being convicted of participating in the plot, along with 27 others.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Zelenskyy pressures US and Europe for more ‘air defense’ assistance amid ongoing war with Russia
Former NATO ambassador credits Trump for historic NATO defense spending
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker discusses the upcoming NATO Summit in Turkey, which President Donald Trump will attend. Volker highlights Trump’s focus on increased defense spending from allies and the challenges of promoting unity within the alliance, especially following the Iran operation. He emphasizes NATO’s historical role in deterring aggression and its support for the U.S. after 9/11.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressuring the U.S. and Europe to provide more missiles to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks.
“Last night, Kyiv came under a massive Russian attack. Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 attack drones,” Zelenskyy noted in part of a Monday post on X.
President Donald Trump is slated to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week.
Zelenskyy is calling for the U.S. and European allies to emerge from the meeting “with strong decisions in support of” Ukraine’s “air defense.”
TRUMP CALLS OUT NATO AHEAD OF SUMMIT, CALLING IT ‘RIDICULOUS’ FOR US TO PERSIST ON ‘ONE SIDED PATH’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference after meetings with the heads of the EU and Ireland, in Dublin on July 1, 2026. (Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles. And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles. It is critically important that the world – first and foremost the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives,” he noted in the post.
WORLD LEADERS, DIGNITARIES PAY TRIBUTE TO AMERICA ON HISTORIC 250TH BIRTHDAY
President Donald Trump walks to Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 1, 2026, in North Dakota. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he asserted.
Zelenskyy’s comments come amid the years-long war between Russia and Ukraine.
RUSSIAN GENERALS’ ASSASSINATIONS EXPOSE GROWING RIFT INSIDE PUTIN’S SECURITY APPARATUS
Large banners on an office complex near the Presidential Palace, the venue for the NATO summit, in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, July 6, 2026. (Kerem Uzel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Reuters reported that Zelenskyy, new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to have dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday.
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Hungary’s opposition Fidesz party has called for a demonstration on Thursday after Prime Minister Péter Magyar submitted a constitutional amendment to remove the country’s president, Tamás Sulyok.
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Magyar, who won a landslide victory in April’s election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, has repeatedly called for the removal of the official appointed by his predecessor, whom he calls “Orbán’s puppet”.
Magyar’s amendment, filed on Saturday, states that “the mandate of the incumbent President of the Republic shall terminate on the day following the entry into force of the amendment to the Fundamental Law”.
The governing Tisza Party holds a supermajority in parliament, meaning the amendment is expected to pass. According to sources in the Hungarian parliament, the vote could take place as early as next week, but this has not been officially confirmed.
The constitutional changes would also remove four constitutional judges by setting their retirement age at 70, and limit parliamentary deputies to a 12-year mandate.
President Sulyok has said he has no intention of resigning, describing Magyar’s move as a threat to democracy.
“The question is whether this force will sweep away internationally recognised and required principles of the rule of law, as well as genuine representative democracy,” Sulyok said in a statement on Sunday.
Magyar pledged repeatedly during his election campaign to remove the president from office. He argues that Sulyok failed to fulfil his constitutional duties and did not stand up for opposition supporters during Orbán’s time in power.
“Viktor Orbán failed the Hungarian people, and Tamás Sulyok, whom he appointed, failed the Hungarian Republic,” Magyar said in June.
Fidesz has said the president’s removal would pave the way for tyranny, and has called for a demonstration on Thursday in support of Sulyok.
“The Tisza Party crosses all boundaries – human, moral and legal,” said Orbán. “Hungarian voters did not authorise this.”
The opposition argues that Sulyok was elected in accordance with the constitution, and that his removal would amount to personalised legislation.
A delegation from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, an advisory body specialising in constitutional affairs, visited Hungary last week and met both the president and government officials. Its findings have not yet been made public.
The European Commission has said it is monitoring the constitutional amendment process in Hungary.
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