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	Feds Nab Preacher at Arizona Motel Following Raid on Church Compound, AP Reports ABC News September 25, 2008 http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5889074&page=1 [with video] Following a raid on his church's compound last week, Christian evangelist Tony Alamo has been arrested in Arizona on suspicion of transporting minors across state lines for sexual purposes, the FBI told the Associated Press. Alamo was staying at a motel in Flagstaff, Ariz., when agents arrested him Thursday, FBI spokesman Steve Frazier told the AP. He did not believe children were with Alamo when he was arrested. Alamo is scheduled for a federal court appearance Friday in Arizona, the AP reported. Just days ago, Alamo was laughing in an interview with ABCNews.com, despite the raid on the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in Arkansas by more than 100 federal agents as part of a two-year investigation into allegations of child pornography, physical and sexual abuse of children, polygamy and underage marriage. Alamo has been accused by ex-followers of beating children who misbehave and separating husbands from their wives and children to punish them for various infractions. But Alamo (pronounced ah-LAM-o) seemed relaxed when discussing the accusations and the raid, relishing the fact that the raid took place on his 74th birthday last weekend. And he remained defiant in his denial of the allegations, and unrepentant about his promotion of marriage between older men and girls as young as 10. "The government -- those devils -- they gave me this as a birthday present," said Alamo. "These attacks on me and the ministry have been going on for 44 years. It's nothing new. Nothing shaking but the leaves on the tree. "They think they're hurting me, but I'm feeling pretty good. The Bible says that when they persecute you, to leap for joy, because the prophets were dealt with in the same manner." Alamo, who told ABCNews.com at the time that he had not been contacted by federal officials, denied some of the allegations and sidesteped straight answers on some other claims. Asked if minors were abused, sexually or physically at the compound, Alamo sarcastically snapped, "Oh, yeah. We're just open to have minors abused. We're a church and we're not phonies, and that's why they're so obsessed with us." Alamo denied that there was any child pornography at the compound. "They ransacked our church, my bedroom, and they haven't even found one porn picture. Why would I be into that? I'm legally blind, and I wouldn't have been able to look at it."
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