Raids in 14 countries target child porn ring
European police have raided 150 addresses in 13 countries, including the UK, in a co-ordinated operation against a major child pornography ring, Europol said today.
The European joint police force said the operation, code-named Icebreaker, netted computers, videos and evidence of the sexual abuse of children.
It was “the largest international police operation ever co-ordinated and supported by Europol within this area of crime,” said a statement from the Netherlands-based agency. It was unclear how many people were detained.
Europol said national authorities, under the leadership of Italian police, “successfully targeted suspected members of internet child abuse networks who download and exchange pictures of molested children.”
The raids were carried out in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Sweden and the UK.
“The networks’ modus operandi consisted of sophisticated techniques to hide members’ electronic identities and to encrypt their communication,” the statement said.
Europol is undergoing a rapid expansion to meet the European Union’s growing law enforcement needs and has been given greater powers to investigate terrorism. It also helps the bloc’s 25 member countries fight money laundering, trafficking of drugs and people, and financial and organised crime.
Europol’s new German director, Max-Peter Ratzel, said in prepared comments that he hoped the operation “will lead the investigators to some of the producers behind these evil deeds.”
