/ CBS/AFP
Colombian authorities arrested a U.S. citizen on Sunday who is accused of sexually abusing a child in Bogota, the capital city, its mayor said. The case has triggered outrage, as it is not the first time a tourist has been accused of abusing a child in the country.
The suspect, a 36-year-old man from Texas, was allegedly caught sexually abusing a 7-year-old boy on a balcony in broad daylight. Passersby saw the incident taking place and began shouting at the man to stop. The suspect arrived in Bogota on a June 6 flight, a spokesperson for Colombia's immigration authority told AFP.
A video of the incident has circulated widely on social media. It showed a man holding a child next to the railing of a balcony at a residential building in an upscale neighborhood in northern Bogota.
"He's abusing the child, let him go!" shouted the woman filming the video, with several others also yelling at the man.
Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan said on Sunday a person had been taken into police custody, adding that there was "no room for mistreatment or abuse of boys and girls."
Three children were found by authorities when they entered the suspect's apartment and were taken to a medical center to be evaluated, Galan said in a post on X. Sources told CBS News that the suspect may have adopted the children, which could explain how they came to be in his custody, although an investigation is still ongoing.
Colombia's state agency for child protection confirmed that the three children are now in its care.
Dozens of people gathered on Sunday afternoon at the entrance of the building where the suspect lived to demand his arrest.
President Gustavo Petro said on X that Colombia needed to introduce visas to prevent "pedophiles" from entering the country.
Several high-profile cases of children being exploited by foreigners in recent years have put the local government in Colombia on guard against sex tourism. The South American nation turned away around 100 foreigners who traveled for sex tourism in the first half of 2026, according to authorities.
contributed to this report.
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