Utah woman describes ‘terror’ at seeing stepson detained and beaten after DRC coup attempt

The family of a U.S. national detained in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a failed coup attempt on Sunday said they were surprised to hear of his arrest in connection with the attack near the presidential palace in Kinshasa.

Miranda Thompson told ABC News that her stepson Tyler Thompson, who grew up in West Jordan, Utah, traveled to South Africa last month on what he said would be a vacation with the family of his close friend Marcel Malanga.

Thompson described her stepson as a happy and loving young man who grew up playing football and dreamed of one day building and flipping houses. Before this trip, the 21-year-old had never traveled on an airplane by himself, she said.

Tyler Thompson was named on Tuesday by a spokesperson for the DRC’s military, who named him in error as Taylor Thomson. He was detained alongside Marcel Malanga and another U.S. national, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, according to Congolese officials. Marcel’s father Christian Malanga, who allegedly led the coup attempt last weekend, was reportedly killed in an exchange of gunfire with Congolese authorities.

Another U.S. national was mistakenly accused of being involved in the attempted coup. Cole Patrick Ducey, an engineer living in Eswatini, told ABC News Monday that he was not involved, despite reports online and in the media. DRC government officials also confirmed to ABC News that Ducey was not involved in the coup attempt over the weekend.

Read more: ABC News