When Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas docked at the PortMiami on Monday, an Israeli man was arrested on felony charges for purchasing and possessing a video of child sexual abuse.
After receiving a “suspicious activity report,” the 29-year-old passenger, Basilios Grayeb of Haifa, a coastal city in northern Israel, was detained by a customs officer. A search of his cellphone found the video in question. The cruise ship had just returned from a four-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, including stops in Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas.
The passenger, who confessed after an interrogation, is being held on $2,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility.
It was being reported that police, federal, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, went onboard Freedom of the Seas once it docked to take Grayeb into custody, instead of waiting for him to pass through border checks at the passenger terminal in Miami.
Officials reported that the video was of a man raping a young girl who appeared to be younger than 5 years old. The arrest report also noted that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an immigration hold against Grayeb, in case it decides to federally prosecute him or initiate deportation from the country.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
