Bernhard Rudolf Hager was arrested Wednesday in Phang Nga province, part of Thailand's coast that is still rebuilding after the December 2004 tsunami, police said.

The arrest came after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation provided Thai police with a photo taken from the Internet, which showed a foreigner molesting young Thai boys, police said.

In the photo, the foreigner wore a T-shirt with the name of the IQ Dive shop in the coastal town of Lam Koen.

Hager initially confessed to the charges and if convicted, would face up to 15 years in prison, police said.

Police Major General Kumronwit Toopkrajang, head of the child and women's welfare division, said Hager has been charged with molesting three boys aged under 15.

"The FBI sent the picture to my office last month, and police spent about one month tracking him down," Kumronwit said.

Police also found the three boys pictured in the photo, and they confirmed they had been molested, he added.

Kumronwit said Hager would invite boys from poor families to stay with him and work at the dive shop, but during the night he would molest them and give them one or two hundred baht (a few dollars).

Police also confiscated a number of pornographic materials from the suspect including CDs and videos, as well as his computer and camera.

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