Colombian authorities arrested a US citizen on Sunday who is accused of sexually abusing a child in Bogota, the capital’s mayor said, in a case that has triggered outrage.
Several high-profile cases of children being exploited by foreigners in recent years have put the local government on guard against sex tourism.
A video widely circulated on social media showed a man holding a child next to the railing of a balcony at a residential building in an upscale neighborhood in northern Bogota.
“He’s abusing the child, let him go!” shouted the woman filming the video, with several others also yelling at the man.
Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan said on Sunday a person had been taken into police custody, adding that there was “no room for mistreatment or abuse of boys and girls.”
Three children were found by authorities when they entered the suspect’s apartment and were taken to a medical center to be evaluated, Galan said in a post on X.
Colombia’s state agency for child protection confirmed that the three children were in its care.
Dozens of people gathered on Sunday afternoon at the entrance of the building where the suspect lived to demand his arrest.
The unidentified suspect is a US citizen who arrived in Bogota on a June 6 flight, a spokesperson for Colombia’s immigration authority told AFP.
President Gustavo Petro said on X that Colombia needed to introduce visas to prevent “pedophiles” from entering the country.
The South American nation turned away around 100 foreigners who traveled for sex tourism in the first half of 2026, according to authorities.