Andaman: killed US citizens apparently wanted to proselytize

The US citizen killed by indigenous peoples on the Indian Andaman Islands wanted to proselytise, according to media reports. "You may think I'm crazy, but I think it's worth bringing these people to Jesus," he wrote loudly to the Washington Post before his death in a message to his parents.

When the 27-year-old rode his canoe on the island of North Sentinel, he had a Bible and fish and footballs as gifts, according to his diary. The "Post" quotes from it - the mother of the dead handed over to the newspaper the records.

When he visited the people on the island, he said: "My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you." The inhabitants had shot him with arrows and hit his Bible.

Subsequently, the missionary returned to a fishing boat, wrote down his impressions and spent the night on the boat. The next day, despite the warning, he drove to the island again. He did not return from this trip.

Dead body on the shore

According to authorities, fishermen watched as the man was shot at with arrows and dragged to the beach. They fled in fear. When they returned the next morning, they found the body on the bank. According to the police, the fishermen were arrested and investigations started.

The recovery of the corpse of the missionary was difficult. The Indian police involved anthropologists, forestry officials, and Native social workers in their efforts. "We have to be careful not to disturb them," said local police chief Dependra Pathak. A ship and a helicopter had been sent. They had kept their distance from the island and had not yet discovered the body.

Because even Indian officials do not enter the island, it is also unclear whether the killing has legal consequences. Several fishermen were arrested for bringing the American near the island.

The Andaman Islands belonging to India are located in the Indian Ocean west of Myanmar. North Sentinel is inhabited by the Sentinelese, who have locked themselves off from the outside world and are said to have attacked strangers more often. Since the late nineties, no outsider should have entered the island. India's government has declared it and the surrounding waters within a radius of three nautical miles the forbidden zone.