An influential evangelist and pastor from the Philippines accused of human trafficking and sexual abuse has been arrested, the interior minister said on Sunday.
Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “owner of the universe” and “appointed son of god,” is wanted on charges of child molestation and sexual abuse and related human trafficking charges. He denies wrongdoing.
“Apollo Quiboloy has been captured,” Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. wrote on his Facebook page, without specifying how or where he had been.
Pictured: Apollo Quiboloy, head of The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a non-Catholic religious group and spiritual advisor
Apollo Quiboloy (left) welcomes Senator and presidential candidate Manuel Villar (center) and his vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda in 2010
Followers of Apollo Quiboloy hold a prayer meeting in a park in Manila on March 4, 2024
The pastor is also on the FBI’s “most wanted” list in the United States. He is accused of sex trafficking and large-scale money smuggling. He also denies having anything to do with these allegations.
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 church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), where they suspected he was hiding in a bunker.
Quiboloy is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, where church leaders have a great influence on politics.
He is an old friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte.