New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed from more than 18 months in captivity in Indonesia’s Papua, the Indonesian police said in a statement on Saturday.

The brother of freed Kiwi hostage Phillip Mehrtens is floored by the support from across the globe to help his pilot brother ease back into life with his young family. In February 2023, Phillip Mehrtens’s plane was attacked by rebels in Indonesia’s West Papua region - who told him he may never be released and threatened to kill him.

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens, who has been freed more than 1-1/2 years after being held hostage by a pro-independence group, is pictured, in Timika, Central Papua province, Indonesia, September 21, 2024. Indonesia's Police/Handout via REUTERS

Phillip Mehrtens, 38, has been released after 19 months spent in captivity after being kidnapped by rebels in Indonesia’s West Papua region.Mehrtens was in good health and reunited with his family in Jakarta.

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released after more than 18 months of captivity by an armed faction in Indonesia's Papua region. Abducted in February 2023 while flying for Susi Air, Mehrtens is now safe and undergoing medical evaluations.

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released by separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive Papua region, 19 months after his kidnapping.

A New Zealand pilot held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region of Indonesia was freed Saturday by separatist rebels. Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a 38-year-old pilot from Christchurch, was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air when he was abducted by rebels from a remote airport on Feb.

Jakarta and Wellington denied Monday a claim by rebels in Indonesia's restive region of Papua that a New Zealand pilot was freed from captivity over the weekend after they received