Colombian authorities arrested a U.S. citizen on Sunday on allegations of sexually abusing a child in Bogota, the capital city, according to the city’s mayor. However, Colombian President Gustavo Petro later cast doubts on the accusations.
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, according to videos of the incident shared online. The suspect arrived in Bogota on a June 6 flight, a spokesperson for Colombia’s immigration authority told AFP.
A video of the alleged incident has circulated widely on social media. It shows 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.”
Petro, in a lengthy post on X, said Monday night that the man “apparently did not” abuse any children, claiming the man had taken the child out onto the balcony because the child was choking on food. Petro appeared to blame the incident on artificial intelligence and “computer manipulation.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what led Petro to make the statement, and he did not provide proof of his assertions. It also wasn’t immediately clear how it would affect the criminal case.
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 earlier on Sunday afternoon at the entrance of the building where the suspect lived to demand his arrest.
Petro had earlier 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.
