The US academic, the hero of the genocide, and the fake plot to topple Rwanda’s president

Supporters of Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, in Kigali in 2017. The apparent LA venture was prepared to bankroll an uprising in return for mining concessions when Kagame was forced out. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The would-be plot to topple the Rwandan government was supposed to have been hatched on the eighth floor of a Los Angeles hotel.

Representatives of a shadowy Chinese mining company had taken over the whole floor, which was bustling with activity. A metal detector had been installed and anyone going in and out had to hand over their phones.