Meghan Markle's father arrested in US over child sex abuse material

US federal agents arrested Thomas Markle in Florida. The Duchess of Sussex and television actress Meghan Markle, who is estranged from her father, said she was "deeply distressed" by the charges. Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle Sr., was arrested Friday morning by federal agents in Florida on charges related to child abuse, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, US federal prosecutors said .

The director of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, said that "Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions." Patel said their agents "moved quickly" to identify and locate the explicit material, and then arrested Markle Sr. in Florida.

First Assistant US Attorney for central California Bill Essayli said federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area and "seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books" that contained suspected child sexual abuse images. "Mr.