Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Police arrested seven men and said they were closing in on another suspect Friday in the slaying of Peter Blake, a yachting champion from New Zealand shot to death by pirates in the Amazon.
“The suspects claimed they fired in self-defense. They said they didn’t know anyone famous was aboard and they weren’t expecting any resistance,” said Federal Police agent Jose Araujo, speaking by phone from Macapa, in Amapa state 1,800 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro.
He said masked pirates boarded Blake’s yacht at its anchorage in the mouth of the Amazon River near Macapa on Wednesday night, intending to rob it.
“They were probably attracted by the boat’s shiny appearance. They saw it was a rare boat, owned by a foreigner so they figured there was money aboard and lots of expensive equipment,” Araujo said.
Police were led to the suspects after questioning a man they believe was shot by Blake or a crew member during the melee. He has a gunshot wound to the hand.
Another suspect confessed to shooting Blake after the yachtsman opened fire with a rifle, police said.
Six of the suspects were from the Macapa area and one was from the neighboring state of Para, Araujo said.
Police were searching for an eighth suspect, who allegedly ferried the assailants to Blake’s boat. Amapa state police chief Rosilene Martins de Sena said Thursday three or four assailants approached Blake’s boat in an inflatable dinghy.
Blake, 53, who led New Zealand to America’s Cup victories in 1995 and 2000, was on a worldwide expedition to monitor global warming and pollution when he died.
The attackers took a spare engine and several watches from the 119-foot Seamaster, which had been awaiting customs clearance to leave Brazil after a two-month stay.
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