Philips went missing last Sunday in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. He was there because of a book he is writing about the environment. He was with Bruno Pereira, an expert and researcher on indigenous tribes.
The police investigation got off to a slow start, but eventually intensified. Human remains have also been found, but police say they are still under investigation and are not releasing any further information.
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One person has now been arrested. It concerns Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, a fisherman also known as ‘Pelado’. Indigenous people said he had threatened Phillips and Pereira with a rifle the day before the disappearance.
‘Pelado’ denies having anything to do with the disappearance and tells the AP news agency that the police torture him to force him to confess.
Illegal fishing
Bruno Pereira has led actions in the past against illegal fishing in the Javari Valley, an area belonging to indigenous peoples where only they are allowed to fish. Rare and valuable fish live here. The international network, run by local businessmen, pays poor fishermen to fish here and then forces them to give up the catch to run off with the profits.
According to the mayor of a nearby town, the motive for the crime may be a personal feud over the inspection of illegal fishing.
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