Updated on 06/15/2022 at 16:08
- The search for a British journalist and his lost companion in the Amazon continues.
- Police have already arrested a second suspect.
- He is the prisoner’s brother.
Police arrested a second suspect in the case of British journalists and a missing indigenous expert in the Amazon. The man will be questioned and taken to a hearing in Atalaia do Norte, in the far west of Brazil, Brazilian news portal “G1” reported on Tuesday night (local time), citing the Federal Police.
Thus, the detainee was a fisherman, brother of the only suspect arrested so far. Nine people have been questioned so far, including the wife of the first person arrested.
Different theories about the disappearance of the two men
Bishop Phillips and Bruno Pereira did not arrive by boat in the town of Atalaia do Norte on June 5 as planned, according to a regional indigenous organization. Pereira had already reported to the police that he had been threatened several times. He had registered illegal activities in Vale do Javari for the authorities.
Regional media speculated that Phillips and Pereira may have been the victims of an ambush on behalf of drug traffickers. Another line of investigation looks at illegal fish farming and hunting. Concrete clues as to what exactly happened have yet to be released.
Searches continue after the body was allegedly found.
© AFP
According to the media, the two men’s personal belongings were found a good week after their disappearance. There have been conflicting reports that the bodies of the missing persons have been found. The search in the Javari Valley continued.
Covering an area larger than Austria, Vale do Javari is one of the largest indigenous areas in Brazil. Many indigenous people live in isolation there. The border area with Peru and Colombia is also particularly conflicted and dangerous due to illegal gold prospecting, deforestation, fishing and hunting, as well as drug smuggling.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured on Wednesday in the weekly Question Time at the London House of Commons that he is working with Brazilian authorities and providing them with all necessary assistance. (sbi/dpa)