Argentinian arrested after saying he would take child as a slave in MG

An Argentine man was arrested this Sunday (24), after photographing a black child and sharing the images accompanied by racist comments during a ride on the Maria Fumaça tourist train, which connects São João del-Rei and Tiradentes, in Campo das Vertentes, in Minas Gerais.

According to the incident report, provided to CNN Brasil by Itatiaia, the man photographed the 7-year-old boy and sent the images via a messaging app. In one of the conversations, he even mentions the possibility of "taking him as a slave".

See the conversations:

Argentine spoke about "taking children as slaves" - Itaitiaia

Recording was made during a trip on the tourist train Maria Fumaça - Itaitiaia

Tourists who were there noticed the suspect's action and alerted the child's mother. The PMMG (Military Police of Minas Gerais) was also called.

According to the police record, the mother confronted the man, who voluntarily unlocked his cell phone and allowed her to view the offensive messages and photographs. Until the police arrived, the suspect was restrained by passengers on the train.

At the scene, agents found that racist content had been shared in groups and messaging applications. Through reports and evidence collected, the Argentine was arrested based on article 20 of Law No. 7,716/1989, which deals with crimes based on prejudice based on race, color, ethnicity or national origin.

The suspect's cell phone was seized for the purpose of preserving evidence and subsequent analysis by authorities. The man was taken to the police station.

CNN Brasil has contacted the Civil Police of Minas Gerais and is awaiting feedback.

*Under the supervision of Carolina Figueiredo

Source: CNN