A false accusation of abuse against an American man was even used during the presidential campaign; don’t fall for fake news.
A social media allegation turned into a cautionary tale about the dangers of misinformation. Last Sunday, a video recorded by citizens in Bogotá surfaced, warning of alleged sexual abuse against a minor on the balcony of an apartment in the north of the city. The incident went viral and resulted in the arrest of a U.S. citizen. citizen accused of the alleged crime.
Two days later, the truth came to light: the man was in Colombia with his wife—both from Texas—to finalize the adoption of three children, a process authorized by a judge and known to the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF). Furthermore, the event on the balcony was not sexual abuse; rather, the man—identified as Grant Gial—had taken the child out to calm him down during a tantrum, according to the child’s own statement during questioning.
However, the damage was already done: not only did neighbors in the area—forcing the man to be evacuated from his building under heavy security to prevent a lynching—but even the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, branded him a rapist. The president even labeled him as being “right-wing” in the United States.
Petro eventually retracted his statements in a post on X (formerly Twitter); he began by explaining that Gial had taken the child onto the balcony because he was choking on his food, but ended up discussing the armed struggle in Meta, guerrilla activity in Tolima, Jürgen Habermas, and artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, the American man announced plans to take legal action against the neighbors who recorded the viral video. His defense attorney, Fabio Humar, stated that he would file charges against those who recorded the video for false testimony, slander, libel, and procedural fraud. The case will be filed with the Attorney General’s Office.
