Charles Thomas Tendeis (40) was interrogated at the regional police command headquarters in Jayapura on Thursday after he was caught covering a shooting incident-prone area.
"He has been detained at the Regional Police Command Headquarters for interrogation, but where it will lead to is up to the police," Jayawijaya police resort chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Adolf Beay said when asked for his confirmation about the incident.
He said the French journalist was arrested in an area in Wamena in the district of Jayawijaya on Wednesday night while riding on a motorcycle with a local resident.
"Initially, he claimed he was a tourist, but after further questioning he finally admitted that he was a journalist. He, meanwhile, has a tourist visa," he said.
Papua regional police command spokesman Senior Commissioner Sulistyo Pudjo, meanwhile, declined to explain the case in detail when asked for his confirmation on the issue on a separate occasion.
However, he confirmed that the French journalist had been detained by the police.
"That is true. He is believed to have tried to contact a criminal armed group there," he added. (WDY)
