KINSHASA, Congo — Three Americans, including a West Jordan man, accused of being involved in last month's coup attempt in Congo appeared in a military court in the country's capital, Kinshasa, on Friday, along with dozens of other defendants who were lined up on plastic chairs before the judge on the first day of the hearing.
The defendants face a number of charges, many punishable by death, including terrorism, murder and criminal association. The court said that there were 53 names on the list, but the names of Malanga and one other person were removed after death certificates were produced. Eventually, a journalist was selected from the media to replace him, but he too had trouble translating numbers and the details of the proceedings.
Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a vacation, with all expenses paid by the elder Malanga. The young men had played high school football together in the Salt Lake City suburbs. Other teammates accused Marcel of offering up to $100,000 to join him on a"security job" in Congo.
Marcel Malanga's mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said that her son is innocent and had simply followed his father. Sawyer and the Thompsons are independently crowdfunding for legal expenses and travel funds to be present for the rest of the trial. Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, was the third American on trial. He was seen seated in the back row, and was the last to be interviewed. He told the court he wasn't married and had three children. The AP has been unable to reach his family for comment.
Law Law Latest News, Law Law Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: KSLcom - 🏆 549. / 51 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: ksatnews - 🏆 442. / 53 Read more »
Source: KPRC2 - 🏆 80. / 68 Read more »
Source: sdut - 🏆 5. / 95 Read more »
Source: wjxt4 - 🏆 246. / 63 Read more »