Latest news with #Malanga
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
3 Americans accused in failed Congo coup plead not guilty in court
SALT LAKE CITY () — The three Americans, including two Utahns, accused of participating in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo appeared in a federal court in Utah. Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37, Tyler Thompson, 22, and Marcel Malanga, 22 were presented before a federal judge at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Thomson and Malanga are from Utah. All three were wearing Weber County Inmate shirts. Malanga, Moesser, and Thompson all pleaded not guilty. They are , including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb places of government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Four Americans accused of Congo coup attempt now facing federal charges in Salt Lake City On April 8, Congo agreed to return the three Americans to U.S. soil to serve their sentences in their own country. Malanga and Thomson claim to have evidence to support their innocence. The U.S. Department of Justice said they will work with the defendants to understand the case. A Discovery Conference is set for June 10 at 10 a.m. The detention hearing is set for May 28 at 1:30 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
National Geographic
16-04-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
Is there really a secret city under Egypt's pyramids?
Two Italian scientists claim to have discovered 38,000-year-old structures buried deep beneath the pyramids. But there's a big reason to be skeptical. Sun above the pyramid of Khafre at Giza Photograph by Christian Heeb, laif/Redux For the past few weeks, the internet has been abuzz with stories about a secret city allegedly located under the Pyramids at Giza. A research team led by retired organic chemist Dr. Corrado Malanga and former academic and remote sensing expert Dr. Filippo Biondi, claim to have discovered and reconstructed enormous 38,000-year-old structures buried deep underneath the pyramid of Khafre at Giza. In a press conference held in Italy, Malanga and Biondi announced that through the development of a new proprietary method for interpreting Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) signals, they were able to detect structures two kilometers beneath the Khafre pyramid. According to Malanga and Biondi, they discovered eight shafts, surrounded by spiral pathways, that connect to two 90-meter cube-shaped structures. Above the shafts, they claim to have found five structures connected to one another by passageways. Using what appears to be AI-generated reconstructions, they, and others, have hypothesized that these structures are part of a legendary ancient city or even a prehistoric power-generating structure (i.e. a power station). Rumors of hidden structures underneath the Giza plateau are nothing new. The idea dates to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and intermittently bubbled to the surface of popular consciousness throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance. They became particularly popular among French scholars in the 19th century and again in the 20th century when American psychic Edgar Cayce popularized the idea that a secret hall of records was buried underneath the pyramid complex. The concept of a power station, allegedly built by aliens, has also been bouncing around pseudoscientific circles for a while. It is part of a broader conspiracy theory that credits impressive ancient architectural projects to aliens. (How cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid.) This newest iteration of the pyramid conspiracy theory has captured public attention because of the scientific credentials of its authors. In the past Malanga and Biondi published a peer-reviewed article on the internal structure of the Khafre pyramid. Though these newer sensational claims have not been peer-reviewed, and one of the authors is well known for publishing books about aliens, the combination of doctorates and an allegedly new technology has captured public attention. The story went viral and was picked up by InfoWars, Joe Rogan, Piers Morgan, and other critics of 'mainstream archeology.' 'These claims were received by a public primed for such news from long time claims of mysterious, hidden chambers under the pyramid,' says Dr. Flint Dibble, a well-respected archeologist and science communicator who has headed up 3-D digital mapping projects for a large excavation at Abydos in Egypt and teaches at Cardiff University. 'And they appeared legit because of the conflation of peer-reviewed research and the degrees that the scholars hold.' But as other experts have pointed out, the problem with the lost city hypothesis is that it uses an unproven technology, takes imaginative leaps in its reconstructions, and fails to account for what we know about the archeology of the region. (Who built the pyramids of Giza?) Shallow Radar Technology To begin with, there are the methods involved in scanning the ground beneath the Giza plateau. As Dibble and public archeologist Milo Rossi have explained, these methods have never been confirmed or proven, nor have they been independently verified. Synthetic aperture radar only detects up to two meters underground in similar conditions. It is difficult to imagine that SAR is providing credible information about structures 2,000 meters beneath the surface. The pyramids of Giza with Cairo in the foreground. Photograph by Alex Saberi, Nat Geo Image Collection To be clear, Malanga and Biondi have not discovered a new way of detecting structures two kilometers beneath the ground; instead they claim to have a new method of interpreting these synthetic aperture radar signals. If one compares the images of the radar signals published in the report with the reconstructions they generated, it is clear how much artistic license is being taken in the interpretation of the images. The technology does not allow scientists to create an entire 3-D model or produce the kinds of cross-sections envisioned in the reconstructions. As Dibble joked with Rossi in one podcast, the reconstruction appears to be based on the reactor room of Total Recall. Alongside public educators like Dibble and Rossi, other established academics have criticized the discovery. Professor Lawrence B. Conyers, an expert in ground-penetrating radar at the University of Denver, told the Daily Mail that the claims of a vast city are 'a huge exaggeration.' Egyptian archeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, the former Ministry of Antiquities, called the claims 'baseless' and noted that the Egyptian Council of Antiquities did not grant permits for this kind of study to take place in the Khafre pyramid. Summing up the interpretative and practical issues, Dr. Sarah Parcak, an award-winning scholar at the University of Alabama who uses cutting-edge satellite imagery to better improve our understanding of Egyptian archeology, said, 'I could get any satellite imagery to look almost any way I wanted with enough manipulation… I think that's what these guys, they've done. They've misinterpreted the data. And the satellite imagery … SAR data can't see through rock, period.' Water, Water, Everywhere More problematic, Dibble explained, is the study's curious avoidance of all the archeological data about Giza plateau that was painstakingly collected over the past two centuries. All these studies, which utilized geochemical analysis, satellite remote sensing, seismic refraction, muon scans, electrical resistivity tomography, ultrasonic testing, ground penetrating radar, and magnetometry, have been carefully checked against one another and in some instances confirmed through excavation and drilling into the bedrock. The cumulative weight of this evidence has led to a robust understanding of what lies beneath the pyramids, how the pyramids were built, and when they were constructed. The most relevant piece of data here is the water table at Giza. An intensive study performed by Sharafeldin et al in 2019 revealed that the water table at Giza is only a few dozen meters under the surface of the plateau. The proximity of the groundwater, Dibble said, means that even today the Sphinx and other monuments are slowly eroding from water that sometimes 'wicks' up from beneath the ground. What this means for this new study is that if there really were megastructures some 2,000 meters underneath the pyramids, they would always have been part of an underwater city. Think Aquaman's Atlantis, not Amsterdam, Venice, or even the mythical Atlantis that fell into the sea. (Meet the anti-Indiana Jones solving the pyramids' secrets.) In general, water is a critical part of understanding the life course of the pyramids. The pyramids were built soon after the end of the African humid period when greater rainfall meant that the Sahara was more like a verdant savannah. A recent study by Sheisha et al in 2022 showed that during the period of construction the Kufu branch of the Nile extended right up to the Giza plateau, facilitating the transport of the stones needed for the construction of the pyramids. We do not need aliens when we have water.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
3 Americans charged in US after failed coup, extradition from Congo
Three Americans extradited from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were being held Wednesday in the U.S. on charges of participating in a failed coup. Marcel Malanga, 22; Tyler Thompson, 22; and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37, had been sentenced to death in Congo for participating in the coup but were shipped back to the U.S. amid diplomatic wrangling with President Donald Trump's administration. However, unlike with many Americans detained overseas and sent back home, the three men are expected to remain behind bars in the U.S. Malanga, Thompson and Zalman-Polun were all part of a May 2024 coup attempt led by Malanga's father, Christian, in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa. Christian Malanga was a minor opposition figure in Congolese politics until he was killed in the doomed plot. Five others died and 37 people in total were sentenced to death for their roles in the attempt to overthrow the government. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi faces a much more serious threat to his government from Rwanda-backed armed rebel groups who control several key towns in the eastern part of the nation. He has spoken openly about an alliance with the U.S. that could include access to the African nation's extensive mineral wealth. 'The President of Congo is holding 3 Americans now,' Trump admin hostage envoy Adam Boehler wrote on social media in February. 'Perhaps it would be better if Rwanda won the war?' _____
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Repatriated Utahns face U.S. criminal charges relating to failed Congo coup
Three men, including two Utahns, repatriated to the United States on Tuesday and another man face federal criminal charges in connection with their participation in a failed coup in Congo last year. A criminal complaint was unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City charging Marcel Malanga, 22, Tyler Thompson, 22, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37, and Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, all U.S. citizens, with conspiring to provide material support and resources, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb places of government facilities and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country, among other offenses. Malanga, Thompson and Zalman-Polun are expected to make their initial appearances at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York. Moesser is expected to make an initial appearance Thursday at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah. After their initial appearances in New York, Malanga, Thompson and Zalman-Polun are expected to appear in Salt Lake City for further legal proceedings. If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison on each count. The indictment alleges the men conspired to carry out a coup on May 19, 2024, in Congo, including an armed military operation that targeted Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Vital Kamerhe. Men wearing camouflage fatigues and armed with weapons attacked and entered the Palais de la Nation and Kamerhe's private residence, which was riddled with bullet holes after the attack, according to the complaint. At least six people died during the attack, including two police officers protecting Kamerhe's residence, and at least one civilian. Christian Malanga, a former Utah car salesman with eight children and a businessman and politician from Congo, led the foiled coup attempt. Malanga livestreamed video from the presidential palace during the coup attempt and was killed while resisting arrest, according to Congolese authorities. 'It was the goal of the rebel forces to topple the DRC and to murder President Félix Tshisekedi and Kamerhe, and others, with the goal of installing Christian as the new president of the DRC. They intended on renaming the DRC to New Zaire,' according to the indictment. Federal authorities allege Malanga's son identified himself as 'Chief of Staff of the Zaire army' and acted as a leader of the rebel forces. Zalman-Polun was Christian Malanga's chief of staff, Moesser was the explosives maker, explosives technician, and explosives supplier and Thompson was a soldier and drone specialist/operator, according to the complaint. Christian Malanga moved from Congo to the U.S. as part of a refugee resettlement program in the late 1990s and attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, according to his Facebook page. He returned to his native country to serve as an officer fighting rebels. Forced into exile in 2012 following an initial coup attempt, he referred to himself as president of the 'New Zaire' government. Malanga claimed he was the president of the United Congolese Party, which describes itself as an 'opposition political party-in-exile.' He appeared in a 2014 Deseret News story about an Ebola outbreak in Africa. Marcel Malanga and Thompson played football together at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, Utah. Thompson flew to Africa from Utah for what his family believed was a free vacation, the AP reported. The two men, along with Zalman-Polun, faced the death penalty in Congo for participating in the foiled coup but Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama posted Tuesday on X that they were pardoned and their sentences commuted to life in prison. They returned to the U.S. on Tuesday. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday that the men are in U.S. custody. She said the U.S. government strongly condemns last year's attack and supports Congolese authorities in holding those responsible appropriately accountable. 'At the same time, we seek consistent, compassionate, humane treatment and a fair legal process on behalf of those U.S. citizens,' she said. According to the charges, the four men planned, scouted out targets and identified victims for the attack, including high-level Congolese government officials. They recruited others to join the rebel army and, in some cases, paid them. They also procured firearms, ammunition, uniforms, communication equipment and communication-jamming equipment from businesses and private parties, the complaint says. The pardon and repatriation of the three men came as Congolese authorities aim to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. in exchange for security support that will help Kinshasa fight rebels in the country's conflict-hit east, per The Associated Press. President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa last week confirmed the countries were in talks on the issue and said it could involve 'multibillion-dollar investments,' AP reported. The U.S. has estimated Congo has trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, much of it untapped. 'This decision is part of a dynamic of strengthening judicial diplomacy and international cooperation in matters of justice and human rights between the two countries,' according to a statement from Congo's presidency.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congo repatriates Utahns spared death penalty after failed coup
Two Utah men and another man facing the death penalty for participating in a failed coup in Congo last year were repatriated to the United States after their sentences were commuted to life in prison. Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama posted Tuesday on X that the three men were returned to the U.S. to serve their sentences in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy after receiving presidential pardons that commuted their sentences to life imprisonment. The presidency said they left Congo on Tuesday, per The Associated Press. The two Utahns are Marcel Malanga, 21, and Tyler Thompson, 21, who played football together at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan. Thompson flew to Africa from Utah for what his family believed was a free vacation, the AP reported. Thompson's family issued a statement Tuesday saying they are grateful for the support they've received worldwide from family, friends, congressmen and the U.S. government. 'We are grateful to all involved and the hours spent to facilitate Tyler's, and the other two Americans', return to the United States following the commutation of their death sentences in the Democratic Republic of Congo where they have been imprisoned since May of last year. We will continue to work with all involved agencies upon Tyler's return. Our primary focus at this time is Tyler's physical and mental well-being,' the statement read. Malanga is the son of Christian Malanga, a former Utah car salesman with eight children and a businessman and politician from Congo who led the foiled coup attempt. The coup took place near the offices of President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, the nation's capital, in May 2024. The elder Malanga livestreamed video from the presidential palace during the coup and was killed while resisting arrest, according to Congolese authorities. The third man is Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company, the AP reported. Christian Malanga moved from Congo to the U.S. as part of a refugee resettlement program in the late 1990s and attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, according to his Facebook page. He returned to his native country to serve as an officer fighting rebels. Forced into exile in 2012 following an initial coup attempt, he referred to himself as president of the 'New Zaire' government. Malanga claimed he was the president of the United Congolese Party, which describes itself as an 'opposition political party-in-exile.' He appeared in a 2014 Deseret News story about an Ebola outbreak in Africa. According to news reports, witnesses described about 40 people in at least seven vehicles attacking the home of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe. The attackers used drones and automatic weapons. Kamerhe's guards held off the attack for an hour, when security forces arrived. Two of the minister's guards were killed, as were two attackers. Dozens of others were convicted after the coup attempt, a majority of them Congolese and also including a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian, the AP reported. Charges included terrorism, murder, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons. AP reported last year that family members said the Utah men slept on the floor at a high-security military prison in Kinshasa, struggling with health issues and having to pay for food and hygiene products. The pardon and repatriation of the three men came as Congolese authorities aim to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. in exchange for security support that will help Kinshasa fight rebels in the country's conflict-hit east, per AP. President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa last week confirmed the countries were in talks on the issue and said it could involve 'multi-billion dollar investments,' the AP reported. The U.S. has estimated Congo has trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, much of it untapped. 'This decision is part of a dynamic of strengthening judicial diplomacy and international cooperation in matters of justice and human rights between the two countries,' according to a statement from Congo's presidency.
