Following this, the TPNPB allegedly killed the pilot. Bayu reported that the pilot’s body was taken back to the helicopter, which was then set on fire along with the aircraft.

According to information from the scene, all passengers were unharmed.

“Alama District is isolated, with access only achievable via helicopter,” Bayu noted.

Previously, on February 7, 2023, another New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mark Mehrtens, was kidnapped by a TPNPB faction led by Egianus Kogoya. Mehrtens was captured after landing a Susi Air aircraft at the Paro District Airfield in Nduga, Highland Papua.

Since then, there have been numerous calls for TPNPB to release him, but these efforts have yet to yield results.

TPNPB-OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom stated that they could not confirm the police’s allegations regarding the kidnapping and murder of Glen Malcolm Conning.

“We have not received confirmation from the field; please be patient,” he told BBC News Indonesia. “If the allegations are true, the pilot was a spy for the TNI/Police, as we have long claimed that this area is a war zone,” Sebby said

Sebby emphasized that any civilian flight is prohibited from landing in the area. “I have told the public that this is a conflict zone, and we prohibit civilian flights, especially those carrying police and military personnel,” Sebby reiterated to BBC News Indonesia on Monday (5/8). (Uki Ruknuddin)

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