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 payment from a local leader.

Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region have warned that military attacks in recent days to rescue a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage over a year ago could instead threaten his safety.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- 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. 7, 2023.

Independence fighters led by Egianus Kogoya, a regional commander in the Free Papua Movement, stormed a single-engine plane on a small runway in Paro and abducted Mehrtens on Feb. 7, 2023. Kogoya initially said the rebels would not release the pilot unless Indonesia’s government allows Papua to become a sovereign country.

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed more than 19 months after being kidnapped by armed separatists in Indonesia's Papua, authorities said on Saturday. Mehrtens was freed and picked up by a joint team in the Nduga area and was undergoing health check-ups and a psychological examination in Timika regency,

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed by the separatist West Papua National Liberation Army after more than 19 months in captivity, Indonesian police announced Saturday.

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed from captivity after more than 19 months following his abduction by Indonesian rebels early last year.