American fugitive, 35, accused of abusing underage girls arrested at Buddhist temple in Thailand
An American fugitive accused of abusing underage girls was arrested at a Buddhist temple in Thailand.
Joshua Johnstone, 35, allegedly drugged female minors before sexually abusing them in his hometown of New Hampshire in the US.
A New Hampshire court ordered his arrest, but he fled to northern Thailand, where he entered a Buddhist temple under the pretence of taking a religious retreat.
Police launched a manhunt following a request from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to locate and arrest the suspect.
Undercover cops traced him to the temple in Chiang Mai province.
They dressed in all-white clothing, posing as devotees and joining the meditation camp to surveil the American's movements.
Officers said they spent two days undercover, working with temple authorities who provided information that helped them find the wanted man.
After verifying Joshua's identity, they dropped the disguise and arrested him on September 10.
Footage shows police and immigration officers cornering Joshua as he was checking in to his lodging.
Joshua allegedly admitted he was the fugitive wanted by US authorities, Thai police said.
Officers revoked his permission to stay in Thailand as he 'posed a threat to society'. He had reportedly worked with another man, Patrick Edward Lord, to drug the underage girls and sexually assault them.
Police said Joshua arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport near Bangkok on August 13.
He was transferred to an Immigration detention centre pending deportation to the US, where he faces charges of aggravated felonious sexual assault, felonious sexual assault, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Police Major General Chotiwat Luangwilai, commander of the Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the arrest followed cooperation between Thai and US law enforcement agencies.
He said: ‘This operation was conducted in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bangkok Legal Attaché Office, with support from Benjamin Virtue, Law Enforcement Attaché, and Nicholas Vicencia, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché, who provided intelligence that led to the arrest.
‘This prevents the subject from committing similar offences within Thailand while reflecting the strong partnership and shared commitment between the two nations in law enforcement.'
