Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been charged and placed under house detention at his assisted living facility in Florida over allegations of possessing child sex abuse material. He has branded the allegations as "sick lies."
Markle was arrested in Florida on a federal complaint alleging he held images showing child sex abuse, according to the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
Piers Morgan's Response
Piers Morgan shared a "breaking news" article on X that read, "Thomas Markle criminal complaint reveals FBI found photos of him abusing young girls." In a one-word response, the Uncensored presenter wrote, "Horrifying."
Morgan then questioned, "How many more did he allegedly abuse after the warning letter was sent in 2019 by his first wife?" Markle vehemently denies all of the allegations.
Arrest Details
Markle was pictured handcuffed while sat in a wheelchair. The FBI, acting on warrants, searched storage units in LA registered to him which he had rented since 2008, with the last payment made in October this year, the DoJ said.
Inside the units, the FBI says agents seized about 78 items, including film negatives, slides and books that they allege contained child sex abuse material.
FBI Statement
FBI director Kash Patel said authorities "moved quickly" when arresting Markle. "Mr Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions," Patel said.
He added that the FBI would "use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids – any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide".
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not commented on Markle's arrest.
