They'd Been Set to Die in Congo. Now They're Back in US

Three Americans originally sentenced to death for a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo have returned to US soil. The men saw those death sentences commuted to life imprisonment last week as Congo angles to ink a minerals deal with the US that would see it get needed security support, and the AP reports the three are due to now serve their time in the US. Per the BBC, a State Department rep confirmed the men are now in US custody. Legal experts don't expect the US to adjust their sentences, and the New York Times reports there is, as of yet, no word on "where, how, or if the men would serve their sentences."

Among those repatriated is Marcel Malanga, said to be 21 or 22, son of opposition figure Christian Malanga. His father, who led the coup, was killed while attempting to avoid arrest. Marcel claimed he was forced into involvement. Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, was a former classmate of the younger Malanga and was in Africa on a supposed vacation. The final American, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36 or 37, was reportedly connected to Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. The BBC notes Congo's coltan and cobalt reserves are of great interest to the US; the minerals are used in electronic equipment and EV batteries, and China controls much of the current extraction market. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)