A Philippine pastor, wanted in the United States for child sex trafficking, has been arrested, officials announced on Sunday, following a two-week-long police manhunt. Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos confirmed the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy via his official Facebook page but did not provide further details.
Quiboloy, who also faces human trafficking charges in a Philippine court, is a self-proclaimed “Son of God” and a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte. He is the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, which claims millions of members worldwide.
In 2021, the U.S. Justice Department charged Quiboloy with sex trafficking girls and women aged 12 to 25, who were allegedly coerced into becoming his personal assistants, or “pastorals,” and forced to engage in sexual acts with him.
Brigadier-General Nicolas Torre, the regional police chief overseeing the manhunt, confirmed Quiboloy’s arrest during a news conference. Approximately 2,000 police officers had been deployed to the sect’s headquarters in Davao on August 24 to execute the arrest warrant, but Torre did not provide further specifics about the arrest operation.
“This is a concerted effort of everyone involved,” Torre told reporters.
“Let’s be proud. We did our job today.”
