"Ruben Villar, alias 'Colombia,' who is a suspect in the double murder of Indigenous affairs expert Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips, was arrested again by the Federal Police on Tues. Dec. 20. He was considered a fugitive by the Federal Court because he failed to comply with the conditions imposed by the granting of provisional freedom. Arrested for the first time in July, Villar had been released three months later, on Oct. 6, after posting bail of R$15,000.00 [about U.S.$2.800], and should have remained under house arrest. This time, to avoid another escape, the Federal Police will request that he be transferred to a maximum security federal prison.
(...)
Villar is also under criminal proceedings for leading a criminal association that practices illegal fishing in Vale do Javari. As Abraji reported on July 7, 2022, when Villar was informed that he was being investigated in connection with the murders of the British journalist, the Indigenous affairs leader and also the former Funai [National Indian Foundation] employee Maxciel Pereira, he presented himself to the authorities and was arrested while carrying false documents. It was verified that the suspect allegedly had three identities: Brazilian, Colombian and Peruvian."
