A New Zealand helicopter pilot, Glen Malcolm Conning, was shot dead in Central Papua Province, West Papua, Indonesia, on Monday, August 5, 2024.

Head of Public Relations for the Cartenz Peace Operation, Senior Commissioner Bayu Suseno, said that a witness said that West Papua separatist group troops intercepted the pilot and passengers using firearms. “The armed group immediately killed Glen Malcolm Conning,” he said in a written statement.

Bayu confirmed that all passengers on the helicopter were safe because they were local residents. On the other hand, he said that the Alama District is an isolated area in Papua.

Conning, 50, was a pilot for an aircraft owned by the Intan Angkasa Air Service Company. He was an experienced pilot who was well-known in New Zealand aviation circles.

The man from Motueka was killed by separatist rebels in Indonesia’s easternmost region, West Papua, after landing in a remote area, local police said.

Conning, an experienced helicopter pilot who had helped put out fires in Christchurch, Port Hills recently, flew for Indonesian airline Intan Angkasa Air Service.

See also: Five Killers of New Zealand Helicopter Pilot Named as Wanted

Senior Commissioner Bayu said the National Police, Indonesian Army, and Mimika Police were still pursuing the West Papuan separatists responsible for Conning’s death.

The incident occurred almost 18 months after the kidnapping by rebels of another New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, who is still being held captive. “The news about the plan to release the hostage pilot Philip, who they said would be released, was just propaganda. In fact, today it happened again, a foreign pilot was killed by West Papuan separatists in Alama District, Mimika Regency,” said Bayu.

Head of the Cartenz 2024 Peace Operation, Police Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani in Jayapura, Monday, said the West Papuan separatists also burned an IWN helicopter, MD.500 ER PK in Alama District, Mimika Regency, Central Papua Province at 10:00.

Faizal said the attack occurred when the helicopter arrived in Alama District, Mimika Regency carrying four passengers, namely two health workers and one baby and one child from Moses Kilangin Timika Airport to Alama District.

Bayu Suseno said information received by a witness with the initials D explained that when the helicopter arrived in Alaman District, the passengers and pilot were immediately intercepted by West Papuan separatists.

“And at that time the pilot Mr. Glen Malcolm Conning was immediately killed by West Papuan separatists,” he said.

He explained that the incident began at around 09:30 GMT +9 when the IWN Type Helicopter, MD.500 ER PK, belonging to the Intan Angkasa Air Service Company with pilot Glen Malcolm Conning carried four passengers from Moses Kilangin Timika Airport to Alama District, Mimika Regency.

Upon arrival in Alama District, it was intercepted by West Papuan separatists using firearms, then the pilot and passengers were taken off the helicopter and gathered in the field.

“After that, West Papua Separatists immediately killed the pilot and his body was taken to the helicopter and then burned together with the helicopter,” he said.

He added that Conning was a New Zealand citizen born on February 23, 1974 with passport number LM096455, a helicopter pilot belonging to the Intan Angkasa Air Service Company with an address in Timika.

“For the identity of the passengers according to information from the field, all passengers are safe,” he said.

Testimony of Fellow Victim

Fellow victim Glen Malcolm Conning, Geoffrey Foster, also witnessed Glen’s body covered in blood. “The eyewitness to this incident was Geoffrey Foster, a New Zealand pilot,” said Bayu Suseno.

Geoffrey Foster gave a statement to the authorities that he saw the propellers of Glen Malcolm Conning’s helicopter had stopped spinning when he landed in the Alama District. Geoffrey then landed his helicopter right next to Conning’s helicopter.

“Geoffrey Foster circled the helicopter at a distance of approximately 1,000 feet above the ground, then descended to land next to Conning’s helicopter,” said Bayu.

Geoffrey Foster saw the passengers’ belongings scattered. Meanwhile, Pilot Glen Malcolm Conning was covered in blood inside the helicopter. When Geoffrey Foster landed at a distance of approximately 10 feet, he saw bags scattered and pilot Glen Malcolm Conning slumped in a chair with blood all over his body.

Seeing this, Geoffrey Foster immediately took off again, because he was worried about his safety. “After moving away from the airport area, the witness saw a group of people gathered in front of the hospital under construction,” he said.