Five Of Six Tourists Detained For Allegedly Defecating At Machu Picchu Released - Police

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2020) Five of the six tourists detained for allegedly damaging the Machu Picchu Temple of the Sun have been released, Peru's National Police said in a statement.

Cusco regional police announced on Monday that three Argentines, a Chilean, a Brazilian and a French woman were arrested on Sunday, January 12, after they were found in a restricted area of the Temple of the Sun. Feces were found in the sacred Inca temple and part of the wall at the site was allegedly damaged.

Peru's National Police said on Tuesday, as cited by the Diario Rio Negro newspaper, that five of the tourists had been released and only 28-year-old Nahuel Gomez, an Argentine, was still detained. He is believed to be the "principal author" of the alleged crime against the cultural heritage.

If found guilty of damaging Peru's heritage, Gomez could face between three and eight years in prison, according to Diario Rio Negro.

The Incan citadel of Machu Picchu (often referred to as the "Lost city of the Incas") is located in Peru's Cusco Region. The Temple of the Sun, parts of which are off limits to tourists, is one of the most sacred temples in all of Machu Picchu.