Three American citizens are among those arrested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt, authorities said on Sunday, May 19.
The leader of the attempted coup, identified as Christian Malanga, was k+lled during att@cks on the presidential palace and the residence of a close ally of Congo’s president.
The att@cks which occurred on the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, left at least three people d£ad
The U.S. ambassador to the country, Lucy Tamlyn, in a statement said: “I am sh%cked by the events of this morning and very concerned by reports of American citizens allegedly involved. Please be assured that we will cooperate with the DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they investigate these crim+nal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved in crim+nal acts.”
The coup reportedly began around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday near the residence of Vital Kamerhe, who is running to be speaker of the national legislature.
The att@ckers were met with g¥nfire, an exchange that k+lled a coup member and two police officers, a spokesman for Kamerhe said.
The att@ckers then moved on to the presidential palace, Congolese media said, which is just a mile away. But they were arrested by security forces there, and the coup was shut down.
The target of the coup was believed to be President Felix Tshisekedi, who won a second term in a chaotic December vote.
Malanga is the founder of a political organization for Congolese people in the U.S. He was k+lled at the presidential palace after he resisted arrest by guards, Congolese army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge told The Associated Press.
His son, a cannabis dealer named Benjamin Zalman-Polun, and one other were the three Americans arrested in connection with the failed coup.
