An influential evangelical preacher in the Philippines accused of sex trafficking and sexual abuse has been arrested, the interior minister said Sunday.
Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “master of the universe” and “designated son of God,” is wanted on charges of child and sexual abuse and related accusations of human trafficking. He has denied any wrongdoing.
“Apolo Quiboloy has been captured,” Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said on his Facebook page, without specifying how or where he had been.
Pictured: Apolo Quiboloy, leader of The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a non-Catholic religious group and spiritual advisor.
Apollo Quiboloy (L) welcomes Senator and presidential candidate Manuel Villar (C) and his vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda in 2010
Supporters of Apollo Quiboloy hold a prayer rally at a park in Manila on March 4, 2024
The pastor is also on the FBI’s “most wanted” list in the United States on separate charges of sex trafficking and large amounts of money smuggling, which he has also denied wrongdoing.
More than 2,000 police officers were deployed last month to search a sprawling compound in the southern city of Davao owned by Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church on suspicion that he was hiding in a bunker there.
Quiboloy is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, where church leaders have great influence in politics.
He is a long-time friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
