Spanish police arrest New Zealander on FBI’s most wanted list

Spanish police have arrested one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives, who was staying at a hotel in Madrid under a false identity.

Michael James Pratt, a New Zealand citizen, had been sentenced to life in prison in the US for sexual exploitation and sexual assault, and producing child sexual abuse images.

Police said he was involved in the audiovisual production of recordings, recruiting underage girls and young women through deception between 2012 and 2019. He made more than $17m (£14m) from those activities.

Only 57 criminals on the FBI's most wanted list have been apprehended outside the bureau's jurisdiction, Spanish authorities said, adding that it was the first time this has occurred in Spain.

Police said the fugitive placed online advertisements in the US and Canada offering "modelling" jobs, which turned out to be pornographic recordings. He paid other women to act as "bait" and convince the victims the recorded material would not be published online.

Sometimes, victims were held against their will and forced to perform sexual practices to which they had previously expressly refused consent, police said.