German authorities have arrested a 75-year-old man on suspicion of multiple counts of severe sexual abuse involving children aged between five and 11 in the Philippines.
Police and prosecutors in Frankfurt said the man is accused of directing children to perform sexual acts via the internet, either live or through recorded footage, which was then sent to him. The abuse was allegedly carried out with the assistance of adults based in the Philippines.
Authorities added there is strong suspicion that the suspect may have also engaged in similar acts while physically present in the Philippines.
Over 13,000 images and video files linked to the crimes were discovered in a cloud storage account associated with the suspect. The investigation began following a tip-off from the U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
During a search of his home, investigators recovered significant evidence including eight mobile phones, two tablets, cameras, and multiple storage devices.
The suspect was arrested near Frankfurt on Thursday and is currently being held in pre-trial detention after appearing before the Frankfurt District Court.