How a Filipino preacher wanted by the FBI held police off for weeks

Apollo Quiboloy was arrested Sunday at his religious compound in the Philippines, ending a two-week standoff that had gripped the Southeast Asian country.

It was a stunning denouement for the self-proclaimed “appointed son of God,” a Filipino evangelist preacher who had millions of followers and influence at the highest levels of government but was wanted by Philippine authorities and the FBI on charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse.

Apollo Quiboloy, 74, was arrested Sunday at his sprawling religious compound in the southern Philippine city of Davao, ending a two-week standoff that had gripped the deeply religious Southeast Asian country.

The arrest of Quiboloy, a trusted spiritual adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, threatens to deepen a split between the country’s two most powerful families, who joined forces in the 2022 election only for that alliance to fall apart after they won.

Duterte’s successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said Monday that there would be “no special treatment” for Quiboloy, who appeared before the media with his face concealed by a cap, sunglasses, mask and scarf. Marcos described the effort to apprehend Quiboloy as “police work at its best.”

Marcos said authorities had rejected Quiboloy’s request that he not be extradited to the United States, where he is accused of bringing church members on fraudulently obtained visas and forcing them to solicit charitable donations that were used to fund the lavish lifestyles of Quiboloy and other leaders of his Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippines-preacher-wanted-fbi-held-police-weeks-rcna169686

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