West Papua rebels captures New Zealand pilot

Indonesia – Independence fighters from Papua province in Indonesia have shared images and videos of a man they claim is the New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage last week.

The West Papua Liberation Army captured Phillip Mehrtens after he landed his small commercial plane in the remote and mountainous Nduga region. The flight was supposed to pick up 15 construction workers who had been building a clinic in Paro, and it had five passengers on board.

According to the rebels, they allowed the Indigenous Papuan passengers to leave. On Tuesday, the rebel spokesperson, Sebby Sambom, sent videos and photos of Mehrtens standing in a forest, surrounded by a group of armed people carrying rifles, spears, bows, and arrows to the media.