![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-300x200.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
A plane has crashed in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, killing all 61 people on board.
The twin-engine turboprop plane was flying from Cascavel in the southern state of Paraná to Guarulhos airport in São Paulo city when it came down in the town of Vinhedo, the Voepass airline said.
Footage circulating on social media showed a plane descending vertically, spiralling as it fell.
The plane was carrying 57 passengers and four crew. Local authorities said there were no survivors.
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The airline had initially said there were 58 passengers, but later revised its figure.
Authorities said the plane landed in a residential area, but no-one on the ground was injured.
They said only one home in the local condominium complex had been damaged, while none of the residents were hurt.
Brazil’s GloboNews television network showed pictures of a large area on fire and smoking wreckage in an area full of houses.
Police and fire services are at the scene and local hospitals have been alerted.
According to tracking website Flightradar24, the plane was built in 2010 and left Cascavel at 11:56 local time (14:56 GMT). The last signal received from the aircraft was about an hour and a half later.
Brazil’s civil aviation agency said the plane was “in good operating condition, with valid registration and airworthiness certificates”.
It added that the four crew members on board at the time of the accident were all duly licensed and had valid qualifications.
It is Brazil’s worst plane crash since 2007, when a TAM Express plane crashed and burst into flames at São Paulo’s Congonhas airport, killing 199 people.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, paid tribute to the victims at an event he was speaking at.
“I have to be the bearer of very bad news and I would like everyone to stand up so that we can have a minute of silence,” he told his audience.
He posted on social media the news of the crash was “Very sad. All my solidarity to the families and friends of the victims.”
The nearby town of Valinhos sent 20 emergency personnel to the crash site as part of a joint operation, local authorities said.
“Twenty men were mobilised, including three vehicles from the Valinhos Municipal Civil Guard and one vehicle from the Civil Defense,” Valinhos City Hall said in a statement.
The governor of São Paulo state, Tarcísio de Freitas, is also heading to the scene.
The plane’s manufacturer ATR said in a statement that it had been informed of an accident involving an ATR 72-500.
“Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this event. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer,” the Franco-Italian plane maker said.
