Fugitive pastor wanted by FBI caught in the Philippines

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MANILA — An influential Filipino pastor wanted in the Philippines and the US for child sex trafficking has been arrested, ending a two-week-long standoff between police officers and his followers.

Police have been attempting to arrest Apollo Quiboloy in a raid on his sprawling church compound.

Violent scuffles broke out between thousands of his followers and anti-riot police officers, with one church member dying of a heart attack during the raid.

Quiboloy, whose Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) claims to have seven million followers, has denied all charges against him.

In 2021, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Quiboloy with sex trafficking of children, fraud and coercion and bulk cash smuggling.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said he trafficked girls and women from the Philippines to the US, where they were forced to solicit money for a bogus charity.

He also required his female personal assistants, who are called “pastorals”, to have sex with him, the FBI said.

But as all this was happening, Quiboloy was rising to national prominence under then-president Rodrigo Duterte, previously serving as spiritual adviser to the former leader.

However, his fortunes turned when Duterte stepped down in June 2022.

Filipino authorities soon charged him with child abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

For two weeks , thousands of policemen have been engaged in a standoff with Quiboloy's followers, as they raided his 30-hectare (75-acre) KOJC compound in Davao. They said Quiboloy was hiding in an underground bunker based on the sound of heartbeats detected by surveillance equipment.

The complex is home to some 40 buildings, including a cathedral, a school and even a hangar.

Quiboloy's lawyer said the two-week-long manhunt had turned the KOJC compound into a "police garrison", with one of their cathedrals "desecrated".

On Sunday, Quiboloy surrendered peacefully after he was given a 24-hour "ultimatum", said Col Jean Fajardo, the national police spokesperson.

Quiboloy's lawyer, Israelito Torreon, said his client surrendered "because he does not want the lawless violence to continue to happen".

The circumstances of his arrest were not immediately clear, except that it happened in the compound.

The regional police chief, Brig Gen Nicolas Torre, said a "concerted effort of everyone involved" led to the arrest.

Quiboloy and four others who were arrested with him were flown to national police headquarters in the capital Manila where they are currently detained.

Before his arrest, Quiboloy said that the "devil" was behind his legal woes.

He has also said that he does not want the FBI to "meddle" in his case.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Marcos said the Philippines was not considering extraditing Quiboloy for now.

The standoff at the KOJC has taken place as a very public falling out between the Marcos and Duterte political families has unfolded.

The US DOJ sought his arrest a few months before Duterte handed power to current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, but it was only during Marcos' term that authorities started pursuing the pastor.

While Quiboloy was in hiding, Duterte said he knew where he was but would not tell the police.

Duterte's daughter, Vice-President Sara Duterte also criticized police pursuing Quiboloy of applying "questionable" force.

Quiboloy set up the KOJC in Davao in 1985, after hearing God whisper to him “I will use you” while attending an event by American pastor Billy Graham in South Korea in 1973, says the organization.

When he is not in Davao, he has been seen traveling on his private jet.

He delivers his sermons from a glass podium that is set against giant photographs of his lush hilltop estate called the “Garden of Eden Restored”.

These are broadcast on his own TV, radio and social media network.

Outside of his long-standing ties with the Dutertes, Quiboloy grew his political influence by endorsing candidates to his followers during elections, a common practice for religious leaders in the country where politics is based on patronage instead of ideology. — BBC