Footage of child abuse discovered – FBI arrests Meghan Markle's father in nursing home

Thomas Markle, the father of Prince Harry's wife Meghan, was arrested by the FBI on Friday in the US state of Florida, according to information from the AP news agency. The background is the alleged possession of recordings that are said to show the sexual abuse of children, as the AP news agency learned from informed circles.

The Duchess of Sussex's father was reportedly arrested at a nursing home for dementia patients. He was taken into custody near Tampa, sources told The Associated Press.

Markle's son Thomas Markle Jr. reported in October that while clearing out his father's former home in Cebu, Philippines, a number of recordings of child sexual abuse emerged. Markle Jr. said at the time that he had reported the discovery to Philippine police and the FBI.

Meghan Markle recently said she was “deeply shocked” by the allegations. She also stated that the London police had already received a letter with “worrying allegations” against her father in 2018.

“It contained disturbing and disturbing allegations against my father and I was assured that these would be investigated,” Meghan said of the letter. “I hope it is now understood that, despite the distortions in certain media reports over the years, the distance from my father and my decision not to allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.”

Meghan, an American who became known for her role in the US television series “Suits”, married Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. The couple has two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Her father, a retired television lighting and photography director, did not attend the wedding. This led to extensive coverage in the British media about the estrangement between Meghan and her father.

Thomas Markle Sr. lived in the Philippines until earlier this year, where he suffered a stroke that required his left leg to be amputated. This forced him to return to the USA.

The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr. found "hundreds, if not thousands" of images containing child pornography in boxes while cleaning out his father's former residence in Cebu City, Philippines. Markle Jr. told the newspaper that he reported the images to police in the Philippines and contacted the FBI.

"I supported him for years, cared for him and helped him - but that's over now," Markle Jr. told the Sun. “I will never speak to my father again – unless I am asked to testify against him.”

AP/doli