An American pilot was shot and killed before his plane was set on fire after landing in a remote, conflict-ravaged region of Indonesia.
Nicholas F. Gosselin was flying a civilian aircraft into Highland Papua on Thursday, July 2, when armed rebels allegedly attacked shortly after the plane touched down at the Ipdeheik airstrip in Balinggama village.
The isolated region sits in one of Indonesia’s easternmost provinces on the island of New Guinea and has long been plagued by violence between separatist fighters and Indonesian security forces.
Contact with the aircraft was lost soon after it landed, according to reports from the Associated Press, CNN and the BBC.
Gosselin was flying for PT AMA, an Indonesian aviation company that transports mail, supplies and other essential goods into some of the country’s most remote communities.
Seven local passengers were on board at the time of the attack. All escaped unharmed, officials said.
The rebels allegedly shot Gosselin before setting the aircraft ablaze.
The West Papua National Liberation Army, also known as the TPNPB, later claimed responsibility for the deadly ambush.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the rebel organization, said the attack was carried out because the Indonesian and U.S. governments had failed to address what he described as the root causes of the decades-long conflict in Papua.
Sambom also accused the aircraft of repeatedly transporting Indonesian military personnel and claimed it had violated warnings issued by the rebel group.
He threatened that more attacks could follow if civilian aircraft continue entering areas controlled by separatist fighters.
A military spokesperson in Papua later confirmed that the TPNPB was believed to be responsible for the attack, according to CNN.
Indonesian troops launched a dangerous recovery mission the following day.
A 10-person military team was sent into the remote area on Friday, July 3, to retrieve Gosselin’s body, according to CNN and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Indonesian military said his remains would be transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.
Gosselin had been working as a pilot for PT AMA and had previously flown aircraft in Alaska, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He attended Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts between 2014 and 2018.
Indonesia’s National Police and Directorate General of Civil Aviation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Department of State also did not immediately issue public statements.
The brutal killing is the latest eruption of violence in a region where tensions have simmered for years between Indigenous Papuan separatists and Indonesian authorities.