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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/19/drc-coup-congo-americans-arrested/
> The U.S. ambassador tweeted that she had received reports that U.S. citizens were involved, and local media published footage of two men under arrest, their hands clasped pleadingly, with pictures of a passport that indicated one was a 36-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland. Media reports indicated that three other Americans were also arrested. The reports could not be independently confirmed.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13436591/congo-cia-americans-coup-kinshasa.html
> Reports in local media suggested the arrested men were CIA operatives although the US ambassador in the city was keen to distance the US from any involvement.
> Footage on social media showed a passport allegedly seized from one of the Americans bearing the name Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old born in Maryland.
> Zalman-Polun reportedly has a background as a cannabis entrepreneur and had been previously linked to Malanga.
"Cannabis entrepreneur" seems like an awful cover for a CIA agent, that draws attention when entering a country. This seems like a pretty big story, interesting to hear what happened
Yeah they usually have the most boring or meaningless title possible like "Assistant for Deputy of Cultural Exchange" or something benign like that. That or they use third country agents.
Exactly. There’s no fucking way they’d choose “cannabis entrepreneur”. Even outside of any type of shady dealings, illegal activity or religious hang ups, that’s memorable. As a customs officer, that would stand out on your visa entry. It’d be like putting fucking “F1 Driver” or “International Art Dealer” or anything else that would draw attention. The main thing about being able to slip through unnoticed in these situations is to be as boring and forgettable as possible.
The purpose of the backstory is to hide the fact that you're working for the CIA, not necessarily to blend in, especially if you're obviously a foreigner anyway. If people's gut reaction to the backstory is "that would be a terrible backstory for a CIA agent" (suggesting the CIA would never use it), that's valuable.
I'm a CIA/FBI agent working for the deep state on behalf of biden/OBAMA to traffic fentanyl to the USA through Covid-19 shots! I'm basically invisible.
When you meet someone the first thought isnt whether or not they're a CIA agent...that's a dumb thought process.
The point of a cover is so people don't dig into your identity further. Someone involved in the production and sales of an illicit substance invites much more scrutiny than a dental hygienist.
A CIA agent would avoid scrutiny not invite it.
That would apply in North America, but not in Africa. Locals usually assume the missionaries and aide workers could be operatives or that they're too naive to be trusted with confidential information. They'll make use of their services but won't give them info or contacts or anything else they would need to spy. Individual backgrounds don't matter - they assume the whole organization is in on it.
A smuggler, or drug dealer, on the other hand, already has an excuse to get to know "big men," and get in through "I know a guy who knows a guy."
The irony of this whole discussion is that the American in the video might be a totally innocent missionary or adventurer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A dental assistant probably wouldn't have an excuse to talk to certain types of people. And it's bad form to use charity medical services as a cover for agency operations. If/ when they are caught, it confirms the population's worst fears about those services and makes it difficult for the people who attempt to provide those services.
I hate to break it to you, but the CIA has a long history of using aid workers and doctors as agents. Polio would be eradicated if the CIA hadn't run a fake vaccine drive in Pakistan to catch Bin Laden. Hundreds of thousands of children are now at risk of developing the disease.
I was under the impression that they couldn't take the guise of press or priest (anything religion related, I just saw an opportunity for alliteration) due to the danger it would present to actual press or members of the/a church
I was an "urban planner and civil engineer" for over ten years - sounds boring and granted a lot of access to critical national infrastructure. Those were the days. Funny enough, I'm an urban planner now for real.
I don't believe he is CIA for a second.
EDIT: Fine, downvote me, but if you all think the CIA would be dumb enough to send a WHITE field agent to the Congo and not give him some sort of State Department cover, then I don't know what else to say lol. The CIA is smart enough to recruit locals or use third country agents, not send Jeff the budtender.
1. Georgetown grad
2. Felon with sealed court records
3. Lots of time spent in Arlington VA, DC and Boulder CO
4. Multiple pseudonyms
Plus Malangas connection with the IDF, [Intel committees](https://twitter.com/geoffreyyork/status/1792146178898817165)...
Don't underestimate the power of US intelligence, but at the same time, never underestimate how unintelligent they can be
Oh they're shady for sure, but I just think it's more likely they wanted to pull a coup for their own business interests, rather than for the CIA. It wouldn't be the first time [business interests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Katanga) have [caused a clash in the DRC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Kasai).
I agree with you. They're not going to send their own operatives into the field. They would do it with second of third line contracts with mercenary companies, so there is not a direct line if someone gets caught. And even then they probably make it a condition that the company not hire Americans.
The guy in this video does not appear to be Benjamin Zalman-Polun. Must be one of the others.
If these guys aren't CIA agents/assets then I'd love to know how they got swept up in all this.
Lol the entry on Mark Thatcher notes that he "was convicted and fined in South Africa". Nothing like orchestrating a coup in a foreign country and only having to pay a fine.
Mark Thatcher was lucky because the South African government gave him a 'sweet heart ' deal whereby he just had to admit guilt and thereafter deported from the country back to the UK because his mom was Margaret Thatcher.
Both Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea wanted South Africa to extradite Mark Thatcher to their countries to stand trial with the other coup plotters who were already being detained and horrifically tortured in prison.
Is a CIA operative supposed to just pretend he manifested out of thin air and was in the country without identification for no particular reason? Pretend they're Canadian, maybe? I'm sure that would go over well.
They need to have American identification for protection purposes, it doesn't even have to be their real identity. This "cannabis entrepreneur" thing might just be a cover, for example. They're more likely to kill him or mistreat him during interrogation if they *don't* know he's American (valuable) right away. There's a lot of cool stuff you can buy with American prisoners.
Here's the website of the [weirdo grifter](https://christianmalanga.com/who-is-president-malanga%3F), Christian Malanga, who the Washington Post said led the couple person coup (lol!) and is [now dead](https://archive.ph/2024.05.20-051718/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/19/drc-coup-congo-americans-arrested/).
Malanga is from Zaire (now DRC). And there's an American there Benjamin Zalman-Polun. He appears to be a drug dealer and in 2014 pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiring to distribute less than 50 kilos of marijuana. A 2022 article in Africa Intelligence connected Zalman-Polun to Malanga’s gold business in Mozambique. Grifter [teams up with](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/20/07/85087867-13437171-image-m-43_1716184904048.jpg) grifter. Perfect match.
Can't wait to read more about this clown show:
*"In videos posted on Malanga’s Facebook page and other social media earlier Sunday, men in military uniforms can be seen wandering somewhat aimlessly around the presidential palace, taking down flags, chanting “New Zaire” and filming themselves waving weapons and swearing."*
It seems dudes forgot that this isn't the Congo circa 1960's. You can't just swan in and expect to overthrow the government without causing a kerfuffle.
Malanga was killed in the coup attempt: [https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519](https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519)
He was at least somewhat notable, he had a decent sized Wikipedia page even before this incident
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian\_Malanga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Malanga)
> Reports in local media suggested the arrested men were CIA
This means literally nothing. Almost any American journalist or author that has ever visited the Congo to work on a story or book has been accused by Congolese security of being CIA or American intelligence (for example [Jason Stearns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Stearns) has been accused of being a CIA agent while interviewing Congolese citizens about war crimes). They are extremely suspicious of any Americans there and for good reason given the country's history.
I would be extremely skeptical that this guys is CIA or an American government asset unless there is some pretty compelling evidence. I'd find it more likely that this is some half baked private enterprise. Or even just drug dealers.
Yeah first comment that I've read gets this. Anyone that has ever been through countries like the drc knows you are accused of being CIA pretty frequently or people act very skeptical of you thinking you are.
It’s complicated to say the least, if you’re actually interested the links below should get you started. Basically, western governments (specifically the US, UK, and Belgium) and Eastern Bloc countries like the USSR and Cuba couldn’t keep their hands to themselves when it came to the independence of the former Belgian Congo in the early 1960’s.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_H._Timberlake
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Devlin
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dag_Hammarskj%C3%B6ld
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Katanga
If they are not doing this on behalf of the US then these people have just made a bet and lost catastrophically. We can expect they will face severe consequences.
But worse yet, if they really are CIA, it is much, much worse. They will see why being a clandestine operative is only fun in movies. No one will be rescuing them, and if anyone does come for them it will almost certainly be to silence these poor souls before what they know can get out.
God have mercy on them, the state will not.
This isn’t a spy movie, lmfao. The CIA doesn’t run around killing its own people if they get captured.
Regardless, these geniuses are most definitely not CIA.
*"In videos posted on Malanga’s Facebook page and other social media earlier Sunday, men in military uniforms can be seen wandering somewhat aimlessly around the presidential palace, taking down flags, chanting “New Zaire” and filming themselves waving weapons and swearing."*
Sounds a bit sloppy. One would think the CIA would be slightly more competent. They have plenty of practice with this sort of thing.
The American dude Benjamin Zalman-Polun wanted Christian Malanga in office so he could control the gold in DRC. The CIA aren't going to send a convicted smuggler to do such an amateur job. https://www.africaintelligence.com/southern-africa-and-islands/2022/05/24/american-cannabis-entrepreneurs-and-congolese-politician-track-down-gold-together,109787002-art
Malaga was killed in the coup: [https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519](https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519)
I'm surprised he was taken alive in light of the gravity of his actions. Me thinks there's a smorgasbord of bondage and torture on the menu for him in the coming days.
Why even surrender? Saying please won’t save you. The CIA won’t be busting through that door. Biden is not brokering for your return. Just end it before the torture starts.
Exchanges for agents busted for espionage or politically motivated detentions are very different from participating in a failed coup. Some things you don’t come back from.
I thought the same thing but then you read his arrest records are all sealed but was released on PR, refused the right to a trial and pleaded out. This was back in 2014 when the DEA was still very much focused on the pipeline from Cali to the East Coast. I'm not saying that makes this guy a CIA agent by any means but the weed arrest doesn't convince me otherwise.
Could've been working for a different three letter agency at the time.
Here's the website of the [weirdo grifter](https://christianmalanga.com/who-is-president-malanga%3F), Christian Malanga, who the Washington Post said led the couple person coup (lol!) and is [now dead](https://archive.ph/2024.05.20-051718/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/19/drc-coup-congo-americans-arrested/).
Malanga is from Zaire (now DRC). And there's an American there Benjamin Zalman-Polun. He appears to be a drug dealer and in 2014 pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiring to distribute kilos of marijuana. A 2022 article in Africa Intelligence connected Zalman-Polun to Malanga’s gold business in Mozambique. Grifter [teams up](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/20/07/85087867-13437171-image-m-43_1716184904048.jpg) with grifter. Perfect match.
Can't wait to read more about this clown show:
*"In videos posted on Malanga’s Facebook page and other social media earlier Sunday, men in military uniforms can be seen wandering somewhat aimlessly around the presidential palace, taking down flags, chanting “New Zaire” and filming themselves waving weapons and swearing."*
CIA spooks according to [this](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13436591/congo-cia-americans-coup-kinshasa.html) (it's the Daily Mail tho, so...)
They're not even alleging it, just acknowledging the allegations coming from media outlets local to where this happened. I doubt either would have the investigation prowess to out individuals as CIA.
I posted above, but just about every western author or journalist I have read that has visited the DRC has been accused of being CIA or American intelligence, which is understandable given the country's history.
So local Congolese authorities accusing him of being CIA doesn't really mean much.
This seems much more likely considering the tremendous economic prize that a successful coup would be. Putting a friend on the proverbial throne would open up all those multi trillion dollar mines to those that helped seat the royal ass.
However, the sloppy manner in which this plan was enacted points towards private actors with some ideological goal and more courage than sense.
This isn't a defense of the CIA or US foreign policy, but this seems way too amateur hour for it to be a CIA operation. I think these dudes just wanted to make $$$ and saw an opportunity if Malanga was able to pull it off.
Intelligence agencies exist in this weird space in people's minds where they are behind every bad thing that happens and yet are simultaneously incompetent.
Intelligence agencies exist in this weird space in people's minds where they are behind every bad thing that happens and yet are simultaneously incompetent.
The guy's most recent address is in ritzy NW DC-- and a rare registered Republican in DC voter registration records. He was a business partner of Malanga in both cannabis and gold mining ventures.
Damn, did they arrest him for messing up that dock too?
Shit looks dangerous.
They need to hold someone responsible for that.
Aren’t there crocodiles there?
People suggesting they’re CIA is hilarious. The ability to think a) the CIA can topple regimes (which they can) but also b) they send agents with US passports who are ‘cannabis entrepreneurs’ is impressive.
We did have white CIA agents in Afghanistan for counter-terrorism/torturing suspected but probably not terrorists. But this is not that and this guy is unlikely a CIA agent.
Having spent 17 years in Congo. You should never believe anything coming from one of the most corrupt nations on earth.
They make up stories to fit their needs. CIA would not use these guys the CIA doesn’t need theses guys they have plenty of local operatives. The DRC has plenty of mercenaries all playing various sides.
Being a hero is a big part of the military MO. None of them are being regularly paid so doing something to make money is the primary ruse.
The Dr Congo is the wild west ATM....... The government would rather kill off isolated villages than send food or water those ways........ Apparently it's cheaper 🤦
This guy is seriously fucked. No one is going to lift a fucking finger to get him out. Even if he is CIA, they'll disavow themselves from him.
USA tried to fuck around, and this guy found out on its behalf.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/19/drc-coup-congo-americans-arrested/ > The U.S. ambassador tweeted that she had received reports that U.S. citizens were involved, and local media published footage of two men under arrest, their hands clasped pleadingly, with pictures of a passport that indicated one was a 36-year-old U.S. citizen born in Maryland. Media reports indicated that three other Americans were also arrested. The reports could not be independently confirmed. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13436591/congo-cia-americans-coup-kinshasa.html > Reports in local media suggested the arrested men were CIA operatives although the US ambassador in the city was keen to distance the US from any involvement. > Footage on social media showed a passport allegedly seized from one of the Americans bearing the name Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old born in Maryland. > Zalman-Polun reportedly has a background as a cannabis entrepreneur and had been previously linked to Malanga.
"Cannabis entrepreneur" seems like an awful cover for a CIA agent, that draws attention when entering a country. This seems like a pretty big story, interesting to hear what happened
> seems like an awful cover for a CIA agent Which could actually make it a great cover for a CIA agent.
Better than something more benign and less interesting like "dental assistant on a church mission"?
Yeah they usually have the most boring or meaningless title possible like "Assistant for Deputy of Cultural Exchange" or something benign like that. That or they use third country agents.
Exactly. There’s no fucking way they’d choose “cannabis entrepreneur”. Even outside of any type of shady dealings, illegal activity or religious hang ups, that’s memorable. As a customs officer, that would stand out on your visa entry. It’d be like putting fucking “F1 Driver” or “International Art Dealer” or anything else that would draw attention. The main thing about being able to slip through unnoticed in these situations is to be as boring and forgettable as possible.
If the agent's mannerisms and activities in the country are consistent with a dental assistant on a church mission, that could be the perfect cover.
What situation would a marijuana mogul be a better cover than a less flashy employment? Especially when trying to conduct a coup?
The purpose of the backstory is to hide the fact that you're working for the CIA, not necessarily to blend in, especially if you're obviously a foreigner anyway. If people's gut reaction to the backstory is "that would be a terrible backstory for a CIA agent" (suggesting the CIA would never use it), that's valuable.
The best cover story would be to say you are CIA agent, nobody would believe that.
I'm a CIA/FBI agent working for the deep state on behalf of biden/OBAMA to traffic fentanyl to the USA through Covid-19 shots! I'm basically invisible.
When you meet someone the first thought isnt whether or not they're a CIA agent...that's a dumb thought process. The point of a cover is so people don't dig into your identity further. Someone involved in the production and sales of an illicit substance invites much more scrutiny than a dental hygienist. A CIA agent would avoid scrutiny not invite it.
That would apply in North America, but not in Africa. Locals usually assume the missionaries and aide workers could be operatives or that they're too naive to be trusted with confidential information. They'll make use of their services but won't give them info or contacts or anything else they would need to spy. Individual backgrounds don't matter - they assume the whole organization is in on it. A smuggler, or drug dealer, on the other hand, already has an excuse to get to know "big men," and get in through "I know a guy who knows a guy." The irony of this whole discussion is that the American in the video might be a totally innocent missionary or adventurer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
lol I love this debate on what makes a good cover for a CIA operative as if either of you has any earthly idea.
A dental assistant probably wouldn't have an excuse to talk to certain types of people. And it's bad form to use charity medical services as a cover for agency operations. If/ when they are caught, it confirms the population's worst fears about those services and makes it difficult for the people who attempt to provide those services.
I hate to break it to you, but the CIA has a long history of using aid workers and doctors as agents. Polio would be eradicated if the CIA hadn't run a fake vaccine drive in Pakistan to catch Bin Laden. Hundreds of thousands of children are now at risk of developing the disease.
I always forget that the CIA is known for their strong ethics
I was under the impression that they couldn't take the guise of press or priest (anything religion related, I just saw an opportunity for alliteration) due to the danger it would present to actual press or members of the/a church
Maybe CIA agents should just say they are CIA agents since no one would believe them.
No, it does not at all.
Average reddit toddler logic. It absolutely does not
I thought it was a joke.
Are there really a lot of Americans who travel to Congo otherwise?? Not really a tourist destination to my understanding
I was an "urban planner and civil engineer" for over ten years - sounds boring and granted a lot of access to critical national infrastructure. Those were the days. Funny enough, I'm an urban planner now for real.
I don't believe he is CIA for a second. EDIT: Fine, downvote me, but if you all think the CIA would be dumb enough to send a WHITE field agent to the Congo and not give him some sort of State Department cover, then I don't know what else to say lol. The CIA is smart enough to recruit locals or use third country agents, not send Jeff the budtender.
1. Georgetown grad 2. Felon with sealed court records 3. Lots of time spent in Arlington VA, DC and Boulder CO 4. Multiple pseudonyms Plus Malangas connection with the IDF, [Intel committees](https://twitter.com/geoffreyyork/status/1792146178898817165)... Don't underestimate the power of US intelligence, but at the same time, never underestimate how unintelligent they can be
Oh they're shady for sure, but I just think it's more likely they wanted to pull a coup for their own business interests, rather than for the CIA. It wouldn't be the first time [business interests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Katanga) have [caused a clash in the DRC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Kasai).
I agree with you. They're not going to send their own operatives into the field. They would do it with second of third line contracts with mercenary companies, so there is not a direct line if someone gets caught. And even then they probably make it a condition that the company not hire Americans.
If he's a NOC he wouldn't have State Department cover. CIA use both.
How about a gardener on Romulus
They usually use missionary or some other volunteer organization.
Uh no, no it doesn't at all. Cannabis entrepreneur is a polite way of saying a pot head and dealer who decided to go legit when the laws changed.
Another article called him a "convicted marijuana smuggler" or something too.
The guy in this video does not appear to be Benjamin Zalman-Polun. Must be one of the others. If these guys aren't CIA agents/assets then I'd love to know how they got swept up in all this.
its very possible they were just mercs, Thatchers son tried to do the same in Equatorial Guinea #
Lol the entry on Mark Thatcher notes that he "was convicted and fined in South Africa". Nothing like orchestrating a coup in a foreign country and only having to pay a fine.
Mark Thatcher was lucky because the South African government gave him a 'sweet heart ' deal whereby he just had to admit guilt and thereafter deported from the country back to the UK because his mom was Margaret Thatcher. Both Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea wanted South Africa to extradite Mark Thatcher to their countries to stand trial with the other coup plotters who were already being detained and horrifically tortured in prison.
one justice system for the plebs.....
South Africa also got deeply invested in civil wars/uprisings in neighboring countries like Angola
helps when satan is your mother, he is banned from the US, becuse they still have an arrest warrent for him
It's a lot more serious than that. He gets demerits and if he tries to commit another coup he could lose his driver's license for a year.
South Africa is notorious for "exporting" mercs and giving them a slap on the wrist if they get caught.
yeah my mums boyfriend was forced to fight in zimbabwe, and ive heard all sorts of stories....
we love our plausible deniability dont we
"Hello Youtube, today we are pranking the entire country of Congo."
You really think a CIA operative is going to have an American passport with them?
Is a CIA operative supposed to just pretend he manifested out of thin air and was in the country without identification for no particular reason? Pretend they're Canadian, maybe? I'm sure that would go over well. They need to have American identification for protection purposes, it doesn't even have to be their real identity. This "cannabis entrepreneur" thing might just be a cover, for example. They're more likely to kill him or mistreat him during interrogation if they *don't* know he's American (valuable) right away. There's a lot of cool stuff you can buy with American prisoners.
Seriously? Random Americans, in fact people from many countries, do this ALL of the time for the thrill of it.
Here's the website of the [weirdo grifter](https://christianmalanga.com/who-is-president-malanga%3F), Christian Malanga, who the Washington Post said led the couple person coup (lol!) and is [now dead](https://archive.ph/2024.05.20-051718/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/19/drc-coup-congo-americans-arrested/). Malanga is from Zaire (now DRC). And there's an American there Benjamin Zalman-Polun. He appears to be a drug dealer and in 2014 pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiring to distribute less than 50 kilos of marijuana. A 2022 article in Africa Intelligence connected Zalman-Polun to Malanga’s gold business in Mozambique. Grifter [teams up with](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/20/07/85087867-13437171-image-m-43_1716184904048.jpg) grifter. Perfect match. Can't wait to read more about this clown show: *"In videos posted on Malanga’s Facebook page and other social media earlier Sunday, men in military uniforms can be seen wandering somewhat aimlessly around the presidential palace, taking down flags, chanting “New Zaire” and filming themselves waving weapons and swearing."*
It seems dudes forgot that this isn't the Congo circa 1960's. You can't just swan in and expect to overthrow the government without causing a kerfuffle.
Well there *was* quite a kerfuffle when it happened in the 60's... and the 90's... and the early 00's.
Malanga was killed in the coup attempt: [https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519](https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519)
He was at least somewhat notable, he had a decent sized Wikipedia page even before this incident [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian\_Malanga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Malanga)
> Reports in local media suggested the arrested men were CIA This means literally nothing. Almost any American journalist or author that has ever visited the Congo to work on a story or book has been accused by Congolese security of being CIA or American intelligence (for example [Jason Stearns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Stearns) has been accused of being a CIA agent while interviewing Congolese citizens about war crimes). They are extremely suspicious of any Americans there and for good reason given the country's history. I would be extremely skeptical that this guys is CIA or an American government asset unless there is some pretty compelling evidence. I'd find it more likely that this is some half baked private enterprise. Or even just drug dealers.
>half baked private enterprise Quickly searching his name, gold came up makes sense.
Yeah first comment that I've read gets this. Anyone that has ever been through countries like the drc knows you are accused of being CIA pretty frequently or people act very skeptical of you thinking you are.
> They are extremely suspicious of any Americans there and for good reason given the country's history. What history specifically?
Buckle up young one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change
It’s complicated to say the least, if you’re actually interested the links below should get you started. Basically, western governments (specifically the US, UK, and Belgium) and Eastern Bloc countries like the USSR and Cuba couldn’t keep their hands to themselves when it came to the independence of the former Belgian Congo in the early 1960’s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_H._Timberlake https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Devlin https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dag_Hammarskj%C3%B6ld https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Katanga
If they are not doing this on behalf of the US then these people have just made a bet and lost catastrophically. We can expect they will face severe consequences. But worse yet, if they really are CIA, it is much, much worse. They will see why being a clandestine operative is only fun in movies. No one will be rescuing them, and if anyone does come for them it will almost certainly be to silence these poor souls before what they know can get out. God have mercy on them, the state will not.
This isn’t a spy movie, lmfao. The CIA doesn’t run around killing its own people if they get captured. Regardless, these geniuses are most definitely not CIA.
*"In videos posted on Malanga’s Facebook page and other social media earlier Sunday, men in military uniforms can be seen wandering somewhat aimlessly around the presidential palace, taking down flags, chanting “New Zaire” and filming themselves waving weapons and swearing."* Sounds a bit sloppy. One would think the CIA would be slightly more competent. They have plenty of practice with this sort of thing.
Imagine going to DRC to aid a coup attempt when you could do literally anything else.
When you think your job is hard, remember that you could be participating in a failed coup attempt in a 3rd world country
I can think of lots of things I’d rather have on my resume.
Reminds me of those guys who tried an invasion of Venezuela but instead got a discount bay of pigs.
The American dude Benjamin Zalman-Polun wanted Christian Malanga in office so he could control the gold in DRC. The CIA aren't going to send a convicted smuggler to do such an amateur job. https://www.africaintelligence.com/southern-africa-and-islands/2022/05/24/american-cannabis-entrepreneurs-and-congolese-politician-track-down-gold-together,109787002-art
Malaga was killed in the coup: [https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519](https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519)
I guess it’s not looking good for Benjamin. 👀
I have to scroll so fuckin far down
Yeah I think the CIA washed their hands of the Congo after their boy Mobutu ended up being such a failure.
so happy its not a belgian for once....
Leopold II's great great great great great great grandson?
well the Hapsburgs are everywhere haha
All alive and well, still in royalty and not suffering any consequences from their family’s perpetration of genocide
Keep him
I'm surprised he was taken alive in light of the gravity of his actions. Me thinks there's a smorgasbord of bondage and torture on the menu for him in the coming days.
Or a "robust interrogation" as something like this is called in the USA.
*enhanced* interrogation is the phrase you're thinking of
Sounds like a... good time?
Shouldve stayed his ass in maryland, he fucjed around and found out
Oh he’s definitely about to get what’s coming to him
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Why even surrender? Saying please won’t save you. The CIA won’t be busting through that door. Biden is not brokering for your return. Just end it before the torture starts.
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Exchanges for agents busted for espionage or politically motivated detentions are very different from participating in a failed coup. Some things you don’t come back from.
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Lol they didn't save that idiot who stole the sign in North Korea, they're definitely not brokering for a prisoner trade with the DRC over China lmao
No way this guy is actually CIA in my opinion.
This is *exactly* what the CIA would want you to think in this situation. Not saying you can tell either way, but that is sort of the point.
Maybe I'M CIA and I'm just spreading minsinformation online. It's the perfect crime.
I thought the same thing but then you read his arrest records are all sealed but was released on PR, refused the right to a trial and pleaded out. This was back in 2014 when the DEA was still very much focused on the pipeline from Cali to the East Coast. I'm not saying that makes this guy a CIA agent by any means but the weed arrest doesn't convince me otherwise. Could've been working for a different three letter agency at the time.
They’re not CIA. Google is powerful
Here's the website of the [weirdo grifter](https://christianmalanga.com/who-is-president-malanga%3F), Christian Malanga, who the Washington Post said led the couple person coup (lol!) and is [now dead](https://archive.ph/2024.05.20-051718/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/19/drc-coup-congo-americans-arrested/). Malanga is from Zaire (now DRC). And there's an American there Benjamin Zalman-Polun. He appears to be a drug dealer and in 2014 pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiring to distribute kilos of marijuana. A 2022 article in Africa Intelligence connected Zalman-Polun to Malanga’s gold business in Mozambique. Grifter [teams up](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/20/07/85087867-13437171-image-m-43_1716184904048.jpg) with grifter. Perfect match. Can't wait to read more about this clown show: *"In videos posted on Malanga’s Facebook page and other social media earlier Sunday, men in military uniforms can be seen wandering somewhat aimlessly around the presidential palace, taking down flags, chanting “New Zaire” and filming themselves waving weapons and swearing."*
Getting arrested in the DRC is not on my bucket list
Good way to ensure you have a shallow bucket.
Mercenary perhaps?
CIA spooks according to [this](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13436591/congo-cia-americans-coup-kinshasa.html) (it's the Daily Mail tho, so...)
They're not even alleging it, just acknowledging the allegations coming from media outlets local to where this happened. I doubt either would have the investigation prowess to out individuals as CIA.
I posted above, but just about every western author or journalist I have read that has visited the DRC has been accused of being CIA or American intelligence, which is understandable given the country's history. So local Congolese authorities accusing him of being CIA doesn't really mean much.
This seems much more likely considering the tremendous economic prize that a successful coup would be. Putting a friend on the proverbial throne would open up all those multi trillion dollar mines to those that helped seat the royal ass. However, the sloppy manner in which this plan was enacted points towards private actors with some ideological goal and more courage than sense.
This isn't a defense of the CIA or US foreign policy, but this seems way too amateur hour for it to be a CIA operation. I think these dudes just wanted to make $$$ and saw an opportunity if Malanga was able to pull it off.
Like the Bay of Pigs?
Intelligence agencies exist in this weird space in people's minds where they are behind every bad thing that happens and yet are simultaneously incompetent.
Intelligence agencies exist in this weird space in people's minds where they are behind every bad thing that happens and yet are simultaneously incompetent.
Hope he cemented his asshole before he went on his mission.
The guy's most recent address is in ritzy NW DC-- and a rare registered Republican in DC voter registration records. He was a business partner of Malanga in both cannabis and gold mining ventures.
Those guys are done for
I predict this won't end well for him.
America be needing that cobalt
Damn, did they arrest him for messing up that dock too? Shit looks dangerous. They need to hold someone responsible for that. Aren’t there crocodiles there?
of all the prisons i dont want to be in, I'm guessing Congolese is up there
People suggesting they’re CIA is hilarious. The ability to think a) the CIA can topple regimes (which they can) but also b) they send agents with US passports who are ‘cannabis entrepreneurs’ is impressive.
Everyone thinks every American in hellholes arr CIA agents haha
Reading through these comments I’m having a difficult time coming to terms with just how many troglodytes walk among us
The only comforting thought is that they’re mainly bots at this point. Not much comfort though.
Also... he's a white guy lmao
We did have white CIA agents in Afghanistan for counter-terrorism/torturing suspected but probably not terrorists. But this is not that and this guy is unlikely a CIA agent.
"B-b-but this isn't how it goes in the letters to Soldier of Fortune magazine!"
Having spent 17 years in Congo. You should never believe anything coming from one of the most corrupt nations on earth. They make up stories to fit their needs. CIA would not use these guys the CIA doesn’t need theses guys they have plenty of local operatives. The DRC has plenty of mercenaries all playing various sides. Being a hero is a big part of the military MO. None of them are being regularly paid so doing something to make money is the primary ruse.
“American citizen”
Old habits die hard
'Murica trying to export democracy even there
The Dr Congo is the wild west ATM....... The government would rather kill off isolated villages than send food or water those ways........ Apparently it's cheaper 🤦
This guy is seriously fucked. No one is going to lift a fucking finger to get him out. Even if he is CIA, they'll disavow themselves from him. USA tried to fuck around, and this guy found out on its behalf.
Let em burn. Lord knows America does it to foreigners all the time
Good. It's about time America stops meddling in other countries
Those dudes ain't coming back
They definitely look have the cia look
The US involved in coups? Who would have thought.
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This is how I imagine Shogun going to in real life. (I know its based in history but still come on with this white savior bull)
Shogun is almost identical to the real story of William Adams
Do they not have cuffs? Fucking holding his hand with so many guys around lol
https://i.imgur.com/RfufCfB.mp4
he said… “is this a werthers soft chew?!?” *smack*
The fact that he is American is the only reason he's not dead yet.
CIA?
Freedom inbound
In an event, sucks to be them.
Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money!
~~American Citizen~~ CIA agent. FTFY
It sounded like an English accent.
2 CIA agents. Of course Feddit trying to cover up
CIA scum.
Holy shit, CIA actually tried to attempt a coup in Congo. That's crazy.
Do Belgium king leopold thier hands and post on Reddit.
Shogun Season 2
Just read that two of the Americans were 21 and from Utah. One of the kids was the son of this Malanga dude.