Two American men believed to be part of a coup attempt begged for their lives after being caught by soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Footage shows government troops frogmarching the dishevelled foreigners along a grassy path following the coup bid.

In another clip, the pair were seen sitting on the ground, with one of them clasping his hands together as he appeared to grovel for mercy.

Army spokesperson General Sylvain Ekenge said government forces thwarted the suspected insurgents who attacked near the residence of Congolese Deputy Prime Minister of Economy Vital Kamerhe in the capital Kinshasa early May 19 morning.

Gunfire was also heard near the Palais de la Nation where the president's offices are located.

General Ekenge said in a local broadcast: 'An attempted coup d'etat has been stopped by the defense and security forces.'

The coup leader, politician Christian Malanga, 41, was killed, while his son Marcel, a naturalised US citizen, was one of the American nationals implicated.

General Ekenge said the group of around 50 individuals included three American citizens and a naturalised British subject believed to be the 'number two of the group'.

Local reports have suggested the Americans were CIA agents, though the US Ambassador to the Central African nation has distanced themselves from the coup.

U.S. Ambassador to the DRC, Lucy Tamlyn, said in an online statement: 'I am shocked by the events this morning and very worried by the reports of American citizens allegedly being involved.

'Rest assured that we are cooperating with authorities in DRC to the fullest extent possible, as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any American citizen involved.'

Christian Malanga, the alleged mastermind behind the attack, was a former refugee who had studied in the U.S. and became a naturalised American.