Mexico ex-diplomat Roemer, accused of rape, arrested in Israel

Former Mexican diplomat Andres Roemer, who has been accused of sexual abuse and rape, has been arrested in Israel ahead of his possible extradition, authorities said on Monday.

Roemer, a former consul general to San Francisco, became embroiled in one of Mexico's most prominent #MeToo cases after a woman publicly accused him of sexual abuse, prompting others to present similar allegations.

Roemer is facing sexual abuse and rape charges, Mexico City attorney general Ernestina Godoy has previously said.

Roemer, who also represented Mexico at the United Nations cultural agency Unesco under the previous Mexican administration, has rejected the accusations.

"I have never raped, assaulted, threatened, or used any type of violence against any woman," he said in a statement in 2021.

Israel's State Attorney's office said Roemer was arrested by police following the extradition request.

It has asked a Jerusalem district court to declare Roemer "extraditable" to Mexico and also made a "request for his detention until a final decision on the extradition petition," it said in a statement.

The arrest comes after a back and forth between the two countries over his extradition. Mexican authorities said they had submitted a number of extradition requests to Israel since 2021 with no success.

Meanwhile, Israel said it had received Mexico's extradition request in 2022, the country's embassy in Mexico said in a statement on Monday.

"Even though an extradition agreement does not exist between Israel and Mexico, and given that Israel is a country that respects the rule of law and is not a haven for criminals, Israel treated the request with total seriousness," the embassy said.

Mexico's foreign ministry will provide more details on the case later in the day, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told a press conference.