A SICK diver has allegedly impaled an endangered turtle with a speargun before cooking and eating the critter for dinner.
Disturbing footage from earlier this month shows the diver as he lies in wait for the majestic hawksbill sea turtle.
He approaches the creature from behind, sneaking up behind it as it lies by a reef.
The diver brandishes an enormous speargun.
He aims it at the animal at close range, shooting it straight through the neck.
The injured turtle can be seen writhing in pain and flailing in the water.
Horrifying images then show the “animals were allegedly cooked and consumed”, said.
Cops arrested Chinese diving instructor Wei Shang, accusing him of being the diver in the twisted video.
The hunting incident in Piaynemo, eastern Indonesia shocked the local community and environmentalists.
Hunting sea turtles has been banned in Indonesia since 1999, while spearfishing is also illegal inside the protected Raja Ampat marine area.
The footage is thought to have been recorded between September 9 and 11.
Diver Wei was arrested by Indonesian officers at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 14.
But he denied being the diver who had killed and eaten the turtle.
He pleaded in a social media video: “I did not kill the turtle. The person in the video is not me.”
Officials are yet to determine if Wei was responsible for the sick slaughter.
Turtles are considered a rare delicacy in certain coastal and island communities, but killing them and eating them is banned in most parts of the world.
The hawksbill sea turtle is classified as critically endangered worldwide.
He was suspended by diving organisation AIDA.
The group said in a statement: “AIDA International is aware of the serious allegations concerning an AIDA Instructor Trainer.
“We share the anger and disgust expressed by our community regarding the killing of a sea turtle, and unequivocally condemn the deliberate killing or any mistreatment of protected marine life.
“The Instructor Trainer has been suspended pending a formal . This suspension is a precautionary measure and does not represent a finding regarding the allegations.”
Hunting sea turtles has been banned in Indonesia since 1999.
Spearfishing is also illegal in the protected Raja Ampat marine area, known as one of Indonesia’s best diving destinations.
