John Van Wormer was detained by Mexican federal investigators in the northwestern state of Sonora last week Monday, September 8, after he landed on an allegedly closed airstrip, NTM said. The arrest was part of a Mexican crackdown on criminal activities in remote areas, according to missionaries. 

It came as a setback with for NTM and its partner, UIM International-Aviation, as they were involved in supporting indigenous people in the mountains of Mexico. "The presence of our personnel and their activities are carried out with the knowledge and approval of the appropriate Mexican authorities," NTM explained in a statement.   
     
"As guests in Mexico, we respect the laws there and the people who enforce those laws. So NTM and UIM strive to keep all papers up to date and to register activities such as flights with the government," the group added.

After fellow missionaries testified at the court in the state's capital Hermosillo, Van Wormer was released on a bail of 15,000 pesos (roughly $1,400), last Thursday, September 11, NTM said.