Papua separatists kill helicopter pilot from New Zealand, say police

Shooting in Indonesia's easternmost region comes almost 18 months after kidnap of another New Zealand pilot

Separatist rebels in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua killed a helicopter pilot from New Zealand, police have said, adding that four passengers onboard the aircraft were safe.

Glen Malcolm Conning, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company PT Intan Angkasa Air Service, was shot to death, said Faizal Ramadhani, a national police member and head of the joint security peace force in Papua. The gunmen were allegedly with the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, Ramadhani said.