An American explorer who bribed local fisherman to take him illegally to a remote island in India has been shot and killed by tribesman slinging bow and arrows, reports the Independent.
John Allen Chau (Seen in an Instagram photo above) is from Alabama and reportedly has visited North Sentinel island numerous times.
The island is forbidden to outsiders. The Sentinelese people on the island live in complete isolation and contact with outsiders could put them at risk because they have not built an immunity to many common illnesses.
Seven people who helped Chau get to the island have been arrested.
Chau’s family released a statement saying he “loved God, life, helping those in need, and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people,” according to the BBC.
“We also ask for the release of those friends he had in the Andaman Islands. He ventured out of his own free will and his local contacts need not be persecuted for his own actions,” the statement said.
The family said they forgive his killers. The body has yet to be recovered.
“We maintained a distance from the island and have not yet been able to spot the body. It may take some more days and… [reconnaissance] of the area,” Dependra Pathak, director-general of police on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said.
Chau has reportedly visited the island several times and has been shot in the past.
“John went there to bring the gospel to these people… He had talked about it… planned it for a while, so it wasn’t a whim, it wasn’t a lark,” said Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, said to the BBC.
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