Credit: X/Creative Commons
A 24-year-old American YouTuber from Arizona, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, was arrested by Indian authorities after trespassing on North Sentinel Island, part of the Andaman Islands. The island is strictly off-limits to outsiders to protect the Sentinelese tribe, an isolated community of about 150 people with no outside contact, from foreign diseases. Polyakov reportedly used an inflatable motorboat to reach the island, spent about an hour near the shore blowing a whistle, then briefly landed to film a video and collect sand samples. Before leaving, he left a Diet Coke can and a coconut as offerings. He was detained two days later and described himself as a “thrill seeker.” His arrest recalls the 2018 incident when missionary John Allen Chau was killed by the tribe after illegally landing there. Polyakov is currently being interrogated while U.S. officials monitor the situation.
Read more: American YouTuber Arrested After Leaving Can of Diet Coke on Forbidden Island Inhabited by Tribe That Killed Tourist
Read more: American YouTuber Arrested After Leaving Can of Diet Coke on Forbidden Island Inhabited by Tribe That Killed Tourist