Filipino pastor arrested on suspicion of running child sex trafficking ring in US

A Filipino pastor wanted in the United States on child sex trafficking charges has been arrested, officials said Sunday (September 8), two weeks after a major police manhunt began.

“Apollo Quiboloy has been arrested,” Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos said on his official Facebook page, without giving further details.

The politically well-connected pastor was also charged with human trafficking in a Philippine court.

Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed “Son of God” and ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, is the founder of the Philippines-based Church of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which claims to have millions of members.

Brigadier General Nicolas Torre, the regional police chief who led the manhunt outside the sect's headquarters in the southern city of Davao, confirmed the arrest at a press conference.

On August 24, around 2,000 police officers were dispatched to the sect's headquarters in Davao to execute an arrest warrant against Quiboloy, but Torre did not comment on the details of the arrest.

“This is a concerted effort by everyone involved,” Torre told reporters.

“Let us be proud. We have fulfilled our task today.”

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