By Katharine Jackson and Dan Ziff-Rosenzweig
WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Thomas Markle, father of Britain's Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle, has been arrested on a charge of possessing child sex abuse material, including photographs of himself with naked underage girls, in rented storage units in California, US law enforcement authorities said on Friday.
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents had arrested Markle in Florida.
"Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal
their innocence through his criminal actions," he said.
Markle, 82, is charged with one count of "possession of child pornography," federal prosecutors in the Central District of California said in a statement. He is expected to appear in court in Tampa on Friday. It was not clear whether he had a defense lawyer.
"Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. "These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."
The Justice Department said Markle kept the material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he has rented since 2008, which agents searched last week after getting a warrant.
Agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, 35 mm film negatives, and books containing child pornography, according to the criminal complaint. An affidavit filed with the complaint stated that at least two of the frames on film negatives stored inside the units showed a man identified by a witness as Markle with a "nude pre-pubescent girl" in poses "designed to elicit a sexual response in the viewer."
Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Authorities in the Philippines, where Thomas Markle had previously lived for some time, began investigating him last month over allegations he possessed child sexual abuse images. British police last month said they would refer allegations about him to overseas law enforcement agencies after finding that claims had not been passed to other authorities when they were first received.
The FBI began its investigation of Markle in October, according to the affidavit, after hearing from a witness who said they had discovered suspected child abuse material among Markle's possessions in the Philippines. The FBI also spoke last month with a second witness, also unidentified in the affidavit, who revealed Markle rented at least one storage unit in California.
At least one of the photographs reviewed by the FBI show Markle was staying at a hotel or motel in the Philippines when it was taken using a 35 mm film camera, based on the logo seen on the pillows on the bed.
If convicted, Markle could face up to 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said.
Markle denied the accusations of possessing child pornography when they initially came to light, telling the Daily Mail they were untrue and "sick lies."
Meghan Markle, an American who married King Charles' younger son in 2018, has said she was "deeply distressed" over the allegations.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Dan Ziff-Rosenzweig; additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Luc Cohen, Sam Tabahriti and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Michelle Nichols)
