Pilot held captive by gun-wielding jungle rebels for 19-months finally FREED after fighters seized plane in West Papua

A KIWI aviator held hostage by equipped rebels successful Indonesia has yet been rescued aft 19 brutal months successful captivity.

Phillip Mehrtens was kidnapped by gun-wielding fanatics who stormed his tiny level aft it landed successful the distant portion of Papua.

The West Papua Liberation Army - the equipped helping of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), snatched the aviator and acceptable occurrence to his pitchy connected February 7.

Rebel person Egianus Kogoya kept him arsenic a bargaining spot to propulsion the Indonesian authorities to marque Papua independent.

Officials refused and stood steadfast - insisting Papua would stay a "legitimate part" of the country.

Now Mehrtens, 38, is yet escaped to instrumentality location to Christchurch and reunite with his woman and young lad aft an planetary effort to unafraid his release.

Multiple authorities agencies successful New Zealand worked with Indonesian officials to spot him freed.

A associated subject and constabulary task unit was sent to the colony of Nudga aboriginal this greeting to retrieve him.

Faizal Ramadhani, person of a nationalist task unit moving connected the struggle successful Papua, said contiguous "We person picked up aviator Phillip, who is successful bully health, and we flew him from Nduga to Timika."

He was taken to a constabulary HQ successful Timika to acquisition a aesculapian and intelligence assessment.

Indonesian constabulary released pictures of the gaunt aviator with a agelong beard pursuing his rescue.

Footage connected section media appeared to amusement him having an affectional telephone connected FaceTime - perchance with loved ones backmost home.

The Foreign Ministry successful New Zeleand confirmed his harmless merchandise and said: "We are pleased and relieved to corroborate that Phillip Mehrtens is harmless and good and has been capable to speech with his family.

"This quality indispensable beryllium an tremendous alleviation for his friends and loved ones."

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with unit successful some Indonesia and Wellington, has led a sustained whole-of-government effort to unafraid Philip Mehrtens’ release, and has besides been supporting his family."

He had been moving for an Indonesian aviation institution past twelvemonth erstwhile helium was seized aft landing a single-engine Susi level connected a distant airstrip successful Nduga.

Chilling footage released by West Papuan rebels astatine the clip showed Mehrtens flanked by gun-wielding militants successful the mountainous region.

He said successful the hostage video "It's me," nervously laughing, earlier straight addressing his woman Maria and six-year-old lad Jacob.

"I'm OK, they are treating maine well... I'm trying to enactment affirmative and I anticipation that you and Jacob are steadfast and doing OK and getting support," helium said.

"I emotion you some tons and miss you some tons and anticipation to beryllium capable to speech with you soon."

Images showed Mehrtens arriving astatine Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base successful Jakarta successful Indonesia precocious connected Saturday.

During a property league connected Saturday Foreign Minister Peters said: "His household volition beryllium perfectly implicit the moon, I believe.

Speaking of the 19-month ordeal helium said officials had to "hold our nerve, not getting excessively carried distant and not doing thing that mightiness imperil our chances".

"There’s ever a interest of ours that we whitethorn not succeed," helium said.

On September 18 the rebel radical holding him captive asked the New Zealand government, constabulary and service to cod him.

They besides asked for section and planetary journalists to beryllium involved.

It is not wide whether immoderate benignant of statement oregon negotiations were made with the radical to unafraid his release.