SURREY, B.C. — A soccer club in Surrey, B.C., has suspended a coach arrested in the United States for allegedly seeking sex with a 12-year-old girl who turned out to be an undercover agent.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said 47-year-old Kuldip (KUL'-deep) Mahal was arrested on Tuesday after he went to a park in Bellevue, Wash., to meet the supposed girl.
The office says Mahal had responded to a Craigslist posting before allegedly sending multiple sexually explicit messages and photos of himself to an underage girl.
Surrey United Soccer Club president Tom Duncan says in a statement that Mahal has been suspended as a coach until further notice.
He says the club had followed procedures outlined by its governing body and received a confirmation that a criminal record check on Mahal was clear.
Mahal has made his first appearance in the U.S. District Court in Seattle since being detained and is expected to remain in detention pending a hearing next Monday.
"Notwithstanding the serious nature of the allegations we are not going to be commenting on the allegations," says Duncan.
"It is a legal matter and will be resolved by the various legal jurisdictions."
