Seven arrested in hunt for yachtsman's killers

Seven men have been arrested in connection with the murder of New Zealand yachtsman Sir Peter Blake in Brazil.

Seven men have been arrested in connection with the murder of New Zealand yachtsman Sir Peter Blake in Brazil.

Masked pirates boarded his schooner on the Amazon River, shooting and killing the double America's Cup winner.

Brazilian police say they are looking for at least one more suspect. All but one of the those arrested were local men.

Mr Blake headed the New Zealand syndicate that won the America's Cup in 1995 and 2000.

READ MORE

"We have arrested part of the group and it seems there are still some others out there but we expect to arrest them in the next few hours," said Federal Police agent Jose Araujo in Macapa, 1,800 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro.

Sir Peter, 53, was on a worldwide expedition to monitor global warming and pollution aboard his 119-foot yacht, Seamaster, when he was attacked.

The vessel was in the mouth of the Amazon on Wednesday night near Macapa, when the assailants boarded the boat trying to rob it.

AP