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Filipino Pastor Apollo Quiboloy Arrested After Standoff with Police, Facing Sex Trafficking Charges

  • PublishedSeptember 9, 2024

Filipino pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, who has been on the run for three years, was arrested on Sunday after a tense standoff with police in the southern city of Davao, CNN reports.

Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church and a self-proclaimed “appointed son of God,” is wanted by the FBI and local law enforcement on charges of sexual abuse and human trafficking.

The arrest concludes a two-week standoff, which began with a police raid on the sprawling 30-hectare KOJC compound in Davao, where Quiboloy was believed to be hiding. Police faced resistance from Quiboloy’s followers, who allegedly threw stones at officers and blocked a highway with burning tires.

After a 24-hour ultimatum, Quiboloy and four of his aides surrendered to authorities. They were transported out of Davao by military aircraft and arrived at the national police headquarters in Manila on Sunday night.

Philippine Interior Minister Benhur Abalos confirmed the arrest in Facebook posts, stating that the preacher, who had been evading authorities for three years, “has been caught.”

Quiboloy’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, said the pastor “chose to surrender because he does not want the lawless violence to continue within the KOJC Compound.”

A 2021 US indictment accuses Quiboloy, 74, and his alleged accomplices of running a sex trafficking ring that coerced girls and young women to have sex with him for nearly 15 years under threats of “eternal damnation.” Quiboloy has denied these accusations.

He is also accused of a labor trafficking scheme, in which he allegedly brought church members to the US using fraudulently obtained visas, then forced them to solicit donations for a bogus charity based in California.

Quiboloy, who founded KOJC in 1985, rose to prominence as televangelism gained popularity in the Philippines. The church, which claims to have seven million followers worldwide, operates businesses, including a college, a resort, and media outlets.

Quiboloy is known for his close ties to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who often appeared on church-linked media networks during his time as mayor of Davao.