Police arrest German who allegedly sought to abuse children

BERLIN – German police have arrested a 52-year-old man on suspicion that he planned to travel to the Philippines to sexually abuse children.

Prosecutors say the German man had used an online messaging service to communicate with Filipino citizens and offer to pay them to procure the children, aged nine to 12. The man is also suspected of obtaining more than 1,900 images of child sex abuse.

Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that the man’s arrest Tuesday followed a tip from the FBI.

The man, whose name wasn’t released, had previously lived in the Philippines for several years.