The burnt-out Mission Aviation Fellowship aircraft after it was attacked by members of the West Papua National Liberation Army on Jan. 6. (Photo: YouTube)
Moments after American pilot Alex Luferchek from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) landed his small aircraft at Kampung Pagama Airport in Intan Jaya regency of Indonesia’s Papua province on Jan. 6, he was surrounded by 10 masked men with firearms.
He and his two passengers were forced to abandon the plane that was carrying daily essentials including food. The goods were quickly unloaded before it was set on fire.
The attackers, members of the West Papua National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the separatist organization Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) or Papua Independence Organization, let the pilot and two passengers flee to a nearby village.