Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was arrested today at a care home in Florida, after agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the facility as part of an investigation into material depicting the sexual abuse of children, British newspaper The Sun reported.
According to the newspaper, more than ten federal agents arrived at the facility in Tampa, where Markle has been staying since last Friday. He was arrested, handcuffed and subsequently taken away in an ambulance.
The arrest followed the launch of an investigation in the Philippines, where Markle’s 60-year-old son, Thomas Markle Jr., handed over photographs and videos to the police which, he claims, he found among his father’s belongings, together with family keepsakes.
According to The Sun, Philippine authorities seized around 7,500 photographs of underage children from devices allegedly belonging to Thomas Markle Sr.
Philippine Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla stated that some of the children depicted in the controversial photographs were as young as ten.
In addition to contacting the Philippine police, Markle’s son also approached the FBI, which launched its own investigation.
Meanwhile, according to the British newspaper, another collection of suspicious material was discovered in a storage facility in Mexico, prompting a criminal investigation there as well.
US investigators have also announced plans to search storage units rented by Markle in Hollywood, amid suspicions that a third collection of photographs and videos could be kept there.
Philippine police said on Tuesday that they were very close to filing formal charges against the 82-year-old.
On the same day, according to The Sun, Markle spoke with his daughter Samantha for more than three hours at the Florida facility.
Meghan Markle’s father, with whom she has not had a close relationship for years, was transferred last Friday from a rehabilitation centre to a specialized care facility for people with memory disorders.
Markle claims he suffers from dementia, and the British newspaper reports that he first spoke publicly about the condition after the allegations were published.
Thomas Markle firmly denies all allegations made against him.
It has not yet been announced whether US authorities have filed formal charges against him or which specific criminal offences he could face. Reports of the arrest and the seized material are based on reporting by the British newspaper The Sun.
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Source: Nova.rs, Foto: Daily Mail
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