Footage of alleged rebel attempt to shoot down Indonesian Vice President’s plane

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Footage released by Indonesian separatist rebels West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) shows an aircraft flying over Yahukimo Regency, in Indonesia’s Papua region, following reports that separatist rebels attempted to shoot down a plane allegedly carrying Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka on Wednesday Jan 14, 2026. Indonesia’s government later confirmed that the vice president cancelled a planned visit to Yahukimo due to what it described as “security concerns,” following reports of gunfire directed at an aircraft in the area a day earlier. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), claimed responsibility and released video footage purporting to show fighters firing at an aircraft over Dekai, Yahukimo’s capital. Its commander, Goliath Tabuni, warned that his forces remained on standby. Indonesian authorities said there were no casualties and that they could not independently confirm the reported shooting, suggesting militants may have mistakenly believed the aircraft was carrying the vice president. Yahukimo lies in Papua’s remote highland region, where clashes between separatist fighters and Indonesian security forces have intensified in recent years.