Man arrested in US accused of using app to arrange rape

A detective with the Owatonna (Minnesota) Police Department was monitoring a channel on the Kik app on Dec 29 when he saw a message from a user trying to hire someone to abduct an acquaintance in Wisconsin, the statement said. — Photo by Akshar Dave

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama: A man in Alabama was accused of trying to hire someone on a phone app to kidnap and rape a Wisconsin woman he met online, US federal court documents show.

Matthias Jacob Edward Mann, 22, was arrested last week in the north Alabama town of Hartselle on charges of attempted kidnapping and attempted coercion after a person who he believed was willing to assault a woman turned out to be a police officer working undercover online, according to a sworn statement from an FBI agent.