Huge child porn ring busted; Europol arrest 112 so far, graphic
video seized
Police across Europe arrested 112 people for sharing online videos
of children being sexually abused and raped, policing agency
Europol said Friday.
Denmark's national police chief Jens Henrik Hoejbjerg speaks next
to Europol director Rob Wainwright during a press conference at
Europol headquarters in The Hague, on December 16, 2011. Police in
22 European countries swooped on 112 suspects for allegedly sharing
"the most extreme form" of online videos of children being sexually
abused and raped, policing agency Europol said today. (Jerry
Lampen/AFP/Getty Images)
Police across Europe arrested 112 people for sharing online videos
of children being sexually abused and raped, policing agency
Europol said Friday.
"So far in 22 countries we have identified 269 suspects with 112
arrests", Europol's director Rob Wainwright said at a press
conference at Europol's headquarters in The Hague, according to
Agence France-Presse.
"The operation targeted those sharing the most extreme forms of
video material, which included babies and toddlers being sexually
abused and raped," he said, adding: "I have no doubt that the
number of suspects will increase in time."
The yearlong "Operation Icarus" busted previously unknown networks
of child sex offenders who were sharing the child pornography via a
"peer-to-peer" system, a Europol spokesman reportedly said.
So much material was seized it will take months or even years to
analyze, the Irish Times reported, adding that the material had
been described as the "worst of the worst."
One Swiss man arrested had 36,000 hours of video on his computer
equipment.
Danish police lead the probe because of their expertise in illegal
videos through a file-sharing system, AFP cited a Europol press
release as saying.
Europol said it had identified 269 suspects in total. "I have no
doubt that the number of suspects will increase in time,"
Wainwright said.
While calling the operation a success, Wainwright noted in a
statement that the bust showed "how the Internet is helping
offenders to develop better techniques for sharing images on a
global basis and for protecting their identity."
"The problems involved are becoming harder to police," he said,
according to The Associated Press.
In March, Europol reportedly announced the bust of an even larger
rescuing 230 children.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the operation
showed the "importance of cooperation between law enforcement
authorities at European and international level to tackle criminal
activities that know no borders."
"These children are victims of multiple crimes. First, when the
actual abuse takes place, she said, AFP reported. "Then, when it is
filmed. And, thereafter, every time the images are posted,
circulated or viewed."
According to the AP, the nations involved in the investigation were
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,
Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Croatia,
Norway and Switzerland.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/111216/child-
pornography-ring-rape-babies-infants-sex-abuse-pedophile-children-
europol
|
|