A American tourist was arrested for entering a restricted island with an isolated tribe carrying a can of Diet Coke and a coconut, Indian police said on Thursday.
The 24-year-old man entered North Sentinel Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off India’s southeastern coast.
He wanted to meet the Sentinelese people, who are untouched by the modern world.
Numbering around 150, the Sentinelese shun all contact with the outside world and have been known to throw spears at anyone who comes close. Their language and culture remain a mystery to outsiders.
Visit recorded on GoPro camera
The tourist allegedly used an inflatable boat with a motor to travel about 35 kilometers (22 miles) into the open sea from the main island to the restricted area.
Indians and foreign nationals alike are banned from traveling within five kilometers of North Sentinel Island in order to protect the Indigenous people from diseases and to preserve their way of life.
“He landed briefly for about five minutes, left the offerings on the shore, collected sand samples, and recorded a video before returning to his boat. A review of his GoPro camera footage showed his entry and landing into the restricted North Sentinel Island,” Andaman and Nicobar Islands police chief HGS Dhaliwal told the AFP news agency.
“The American citizen was presented before the local court after his arrest and is now on a three-day remand for further interrogation,” he added.
Prior attempts to visit North Sentinel Island
Police said the tourist previously tried to enter the island in October 2024 using an inflatable kayak, but was stopped by the hotel staff. He later attempted again in January 2025.
This time he initially tried to catch attention by using a whistle. He then left the coconut and Diet Coke as a “gift” and made no contact with the tribe, locals said.
It is unclear what punishment he may receive. The Andamans are also home to the 400-strong Jarawa tribe, who activists say are also threatened by contact from outsiders.
“It’s very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out,” Caroline Pearce, the director of Survival International, an organization that works to protect indigenous people told the DPA news agency.
She said the tourist’s apparent behavior was “idiotic.”
In 2018, an American missionary illegally landed on North Sentinel Island. The inhabitants are believed to have killed him with arrows.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, close to Myanmar, are strategically important for India and lie on key shipping routes. New Delhi has plans to create air and naval bases in the archipelago.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
