Thai police have arrested a 48-year-old American man wanted in the United States on eight warrants linked to alleged sexual offences against children, following a request for assistance from the FBI.
The Royal Thai Police said the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted Thai authorities on August 27 seeking help locating Lance Michael Bec. He is reportedly wanted under seven state warrants and one federal warrant issued in Alabama.
US authorities accuse Bec of multiple offences involving minors, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual torture, human trafficking, incest and facilitating children’s travel for unlawful sexual activity.
According to Thai investigators, Bec allegedly abused children under the age of 14 and recorded the acts before fleeing the United States and travelling to Thailand.
Police and immigration officers subsequently launched an operation to track him down. Investigators established that he had entered the country through Phuket International Airport before tracing him to a hotel in Sakhu subdistrict, Thalang district.
Officers located Bec at the hotel at approximately 2:15pm on August 29. Police said he confirmed that he was the individual named in the warrants.
Thai immigration authorities revoked his permission to remain in the country and transferred him to an immigration detention centre for further proceedings.
Arrangements are now underway to return Bec to the United States, where he is expected to face the outstanding charges.
