An American citizen has been arrested in Colombia on charges of sexual violence against children
Colombian authorities arrested a US citizen on Sunday on charges of sexually abusing a child in Bogota, the capital, according to the city’s mayor. However, Colombian President Gustavo Petra later expressed doubts about the allegations.
The suspect, a 36-year-old man from Texas, was allegedly caught sexually assaulting a 7-year-old boy on a balcony in broad daylight. Bystanders saw the incident and began yelling at the man to stop, according to a video of the incident shared online. The suspect arrived in Bogota on a flight on June 6, a spokesperson for the Colombian immigration service told AFP.
The video of the incident went viral on social media. It shows a man holding a child near the railing of a balcony in an apartment building in an elite neighborhood in the north of Bogota.
“He’s bullying the kid, let him go!” – shouted the woman who was filming the video, several others also shouted at the man.
Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan said on Sunday that the man had been taken into police custody, adding that “there was no place for the abuse or mistreatment of boys and girls”.
Petro, in a lengthy post on X, said Monday night that the man was “obviously not a child abuser,” claiming the man took the child out onto the balcony because the child was choking on food. Peter seemed to blame artificial intelligence and “computer manipulation” for the incident.
It is still unclear what prompted Peter to make such a statement, and he did not provide evidence for his claims. It is also unclear how this will affect the criminal case.
The three children were found by authorities when they entered the suspect’s apartment and were taken to a medical center for evaluation, Galan said in post on X. Sources told CBS News that the suspect may have adopted the children, which could explain how they ended up in his care, although the investigation is still ongoing.
Colombia’s state child protection agency confirmed that three children are now in his care.
Dozens of people gathered earlier Sunday afternoon at the entrance to the building where the suspect lived to demand his arrest.
Peter used to have it said on X that Colombia needs to introduce visas to prevent “pedophiles” from entering the country.
Several high-profile cases of child exploitation by foreigners in recent years have prompted local authorities in Colombia to guard against sex tourism. According to the authorities, the South American country refused about 100 foreigners who traveled for the purpose of sex tourism in the first half of 2026.
