A military tribunal in the Republic of the Congo sentenced three United States citizens to death on Friday for their alleged roles in attempting to overthrow the administration of President Félix Tshisekedi on May 19.
Americans Marcel Malanga, 21, Tyler Thompson, 21, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, were convicted along with 34 others before the court announced their sentence would be “the harshest penalty, that of death.”
Six individuals were killed during a short-lived coup that was reportedly arranged by Malanga’s father, Christian, a car salesman from Utah who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1998.
The elder Malanga, who identified as the leader of a government in exile, was fatally shot during the insurrection by security personnel at Congo’s Presidential Palace.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Friday that the White House is aware of the trial’s outcome and officials will “follow the developments closely.”
Richard Bondo, the defendants' attorney, vowed to appeal the decision, arguing his clients were coerced into participating by the ringleader under the threat of being killed.
Related Story: 3 Americans Could Face Death Penalty for Congo Coup Attempt
