Taiwan police arrest owner of US 3D-printed gun company accused of sex with 16-year-old girl
Police arrested Cody Wilson in a hotel in Taipei on Friday evening and the island is preparing send him back to the US
Authorities in Taiwan have arrested the owner of a Texas company that sells plans to make untraceable 3D-printed guns who is wanted in the US for paying a 16-year-old girl for sex, official media reported.
Police found and arrested Cody Wilson, 30, in a hotel in Taipei on Friday evening, the Central News Agency.
The island’s immigration department would make arrangements for Wilson to return to the US as soon as possible, the agency said.
Police in Austin, Texas, had earlier reported that Wilson’s last known location was Taipei.
Police Commander Troy Officer said on Wednesday that before Wilson flew to Taiwan, a friend of the girl had told him that police were investigating the accusation that he had sex with the youth.
Wilson is identified in a US court filing as the owner of Austin-based Defense Distributed.
After a federal court barred Wilson from posting the printable gun blueprints online for free last month, he announced he had begun selling them for any amount of money to US customers through his website.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia sued to stop an agreement that the government reached with Defense Distributed, arguing that the blueprints for printing plastic guns could be obtained by criminals or terrorists.
