Brazilian police name alleged 'mastermind' behind murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira
Brazilian police have named the alleged mastermind behind the murders of the British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon last year.
Rubens Villar Coelho, whose nickname is Colômbia, was first arrested on separate charges last July – one month after the two men were murdered in the Javari Valley region of the Amazon. He was released in October but was rearrested last month for breaking his bail terms.
On Monday afternoon, the federal police chief for Amazonas state, where the Javari Valley is located, told reporters that investigators had concluded Villar Coelho – who has been accused of running an illegal fishing racket in the remote border region - had ordered the murders.
“I have no doubt that Colombia was the mastermind,” Alexandre Fontes told a press conference in the state capital Manaus, according to the Brazilian news website G1.
Three other men are currently in custody for the murders and stand accused of shooting Phillips and Pereira as they travelled down the Itaquaí River on the morning of 5 June 2022. They are Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, Jefferson da Silva Lima and Oseney da Costa de Oliveira
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/brazil-police-rubens-villar-coelho-murder-dom-phillips-bruno-pereira-colombia
= new reply since forum marked as read
It was well known that the environmentalist writer was working on a book which would be well read, due to his reputation already established. Undoubtedly he had a target on his back the moment the word got out.
I had no idea the forces behind the exploitation/destruction of the Amazon forces were so powerful. They are all focused upon removing the indigenous inhabitants and anyone who attempted to help them save their world.
Rubens Villar Coelho, AKA "Colômbia"
Thank you for posting this article, Jilly in Va.
