Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has accused actor Leonardo DiCaprio of playing a role in the fires that have devastated swaths of the Amazon.
"DiCaprio is a cool guy, isn't he? Giving money to set the Amazon on fire," Mr Bolsonaro said on Friday.
The president - often called the "Trump of the Tropics" - did not elaborate or offer proof.
It came 24 hours after he made a similar accusation in a Facebook Live broadcast.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gives a speech earlier this year. Source: Getty
"Leonardo DiCaprio, dammit, you're collaborating with the burning of the Amazon," he said.
Mr Bolsonaro has engaged in an ongoing campaign against both local and international environmental NGOs.
A handout photo made available by Greenpeace Brazil showing smoke rising from the fire at the Amazon forest in Novo Progresso. Source: Greenpeace
Mr DiCaprio's NGO Earth Alliance pledged $5 million in the wake of the fires, "to focus critical resources for indigenous communities and other local partners working to protect the biodiversity of the Amazon".
Last week, four firefighters were arrested in Brazil, accused of starting fires to generate fundraising for an international NGO. But they were later released amid claims the arrests were politically-motivated.
The actor is yet to comment.
But the claims have sparked ridicule, with one opposition congressman tweeting, "Bolsonaro's delirium has no limit".
"Accusing Leonardo DiCaprio of paying to 'set fire" in the Amazon is pathetic ... A deliberate lie."
Images of smoke-filled horizons from blazes burning out of control across Brazil made headlines around the world earlier this year.
Some fires were started deliberately, often by farmers clearing land for grazing or crops, and were made significantly worse by deforestation - a phenomenon now at its highest level in a decade.
The far-right Mr Bolsonaro has been widely criticised over his support for Amazon deforestation and a delayed reaction to the fires.
A fire burns in a section of the Amazon rainforest on August 25, 2019 in Porto Velho, Brazil (Getty) Source: Getty
Responding to criticism of his policy, Mr Bolsonaro accused France and Germany of attempting to buy Brazil's sovereignty after the G7 group of rich democracies offered $20 million in Amazon fire aid.
Additional reporting: AFP
