The local military carried out a 10-person operation to recover the man’s body
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An American pilot was shot dead and his plane was set on fire after landing on an airstrip in Indonesia.
The incident occurred on Thursday, July 2, in a remote area of Highland Papua, one of Indonesia’s easternmost provinces on the island of New Guinea, according to the Associated Press, CNN and the BBC.
The pilot has been identified as Nicholas F. Gosselin, per the outlets.
He was flying an aircraft owned by PT AMA, according to both AP and CNN. The airline company carries goods and mail to remote areas of the region, according to the company’s website.
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Contact was lost with the plane shortly after it landed at the Ipdeheik airstrip in Balinggama village, according to AP.
There were seven passengers on board — all locals — and all were unharmed, per both CNN and AP.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Gosselin worked for PT AMA and previously worked as a pilot in Alaska. He attended Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts from 2014 to 2018.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has taken responsibility for the attack.
In a statement obtained by CNN, Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the TPNPB, said the attack was a direct response to the Indonesian and U.S. governments “failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army.”
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He stated that the plane had been “frequently dropping Indonesian military personnel and violating the TPNPB’s ultimatum.”
Sambom also said more attacks would occur should civilian aircraft continue to enter rebel-controlled areas.
A military spokesperson in Papua has since confirmed that the TPNPB was responsible for the attack, per CNN.
Indonesia’s National Police and Directorate General of Civil Aviation did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Indonesian armed forces carried out a 10-person operation to recover Gosselin’s body on Friday, July 3, according to CNN and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The Indonesian military said Gosselin’s body would be handed over to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.
The U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Department of State did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The violence is the most recent incident amid longstanding tensions between Indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces.