Canadian man faces sex crime charges after arrest at Nashville airport

Canadian man faces sex crime charges after arrest at Nashville airport

Had been seeking to have sex with minor, says U.S. justice department

The FBI has arrested a Canadian accused of travelling from Ottawa to Nashville in order to have sex with a minor.

The 44-year-old was arrested at the Nashville International Airport on Monday after flying there from Ottawa, the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote in a news release Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice says the man had been messaging an undercover officer online for up to a month before his arrest.

"[The suspect] distributed child sexual abuse materials to the undercover officer and made sexually explicit statements regarding his intentions with the purported minor," the release said.

The man has been charged with distributing child pornography and attempted online enticement of a minor.

CBC has asked U.S. officials if the man is from Ottawa but has not received a response.

In the U.S., the charges carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.