Police today detained seven men suspected of killing New Zealand's world-renowned yachtsman Peter Blake during a pirate attack on his boat in the Amazon.
Police said the suspects were arrested near the remote Amazonian city of Macapa, a day after Blake was shot dead by the pirates who boarded his vessel, Seamaster on Wednesday.
A press conference is expected later today when Police conclude their questioning the suspects. They are still searching for an eighth suspect, who local media said had piloted the pirates to Blake's ship.
The murder of one of the most successful sailors in history by Amazon River pirates known in the region as "River Rats" stunned the world and Blake's native New Zealand where he was a national hero.
The hooded pirates stormed the Seamaster on Wednesday night after Blake, 53, and his crew had returned from dinner on land. The two-time winner of the prestigious America's Cup fired a rifle at the bandits before being shot twice in the back, police said.