Thomas Markle arrested after cutting off ankle monitor, authorities say

Thomas Markle was arrested after removing his electronic monitoring bracelet just days after a judge ordered him to wear it, according to First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli. The 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is being held in custody while awaiting a federal court hearing in Tampa, Florida. Authorities said Markle cut off the device at about 1:45 a.m. local time. His arrest followed the seizure of about 78 items from storage units in the Los Angeles area, including slides, film negatives and books that investigators suspected contained child sexual abuse images. The allegations remain accusations, and the case is before the courts. Markle was taken by ambulance from a senior care centre in Lakeland during his arrest the previous week. A judge had allowed him to be released on conditions, including electronic monitoring, and ordered a mental competency examination with a report due by November 20. Meghan has said she was deeply distressed by the allegations. She also spoke of a 2019 letter sent to London police containing what she described as troubling claims about her father, saying she had been assured they were investigated. Meghan said her decision to keep distance and prevent contact with her children was intended to protect them. Markle had been living in the Philippines earlier this year, but returned to the United States after suffering a stroke and having his left leg amputated. Reports that a collection of suspected abuse images was found while his home was being cleared led investigators to two California storage units he had reportedly rented since 2008. The arrest came as Meghan and Prince Harry appeared publicly in Brussels for the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, which honours children harmed through social media. Harry used the event to call for technology companies to be more transparent about child safety.