Police arrest 17 suspected pedophiles across Europe

[News_Editor]

Police arrest 17 suspected pedophiles across Europe

2012-03-01 06:23:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands (BNO NEWS) -- European police have arrested seventeen people and rescued eight children after a year-long investigation into online networks of alleged pedophiles, the European Police Office (EUROPOL) announced on Wednesday. The investigation is continuing.

Europol said Operation Atlantic began in November 2010 after an operational meeting between the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Europol officers in The Hague. Intelligence which had been gathered by the FBI during a 'long and complex' investigation was subsequently distributed by Europol to France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom in December 2010.

While few details about the operation were immediately released, the European police agency said authorities in the five countries have so far identified 37 suspected pedophiles of whom 17 have been arrested for child sexual molestation and the production of child pornography.

The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed two of the seventeen suspects were arrested in Spain, but it was not immediately clear how many suspects were arrested in each of the other four countries. The two suspects in Spain were arrested in Reus, located in the province of Tarragona, and the municipality of Requena, located in Valencia province.

According to the Spanish Civil Guard, one of the suspects is accused of sexually abusing a young child for more than two years and uploading videos of the abuse to the internet. He allegedly threatened the child, who is less than nine years old, by telling him or her that they would both go to jail if someone found out.

The second suspect in Spain is accused of installing hidden cameras and placing them in dressing rooms, bathrooms and at nude beaches. He would save the images and upload those which contained children to the internet, officials said.

"Due to the seriousness of the charges, both detainees are currently imprisoned," a spokesperson for the Spanish Civil Guard said. Officials said the images and videos made by both suspects were uploaded to various forums for pedophiles, but it was not immediately clear if the suspects operated alone or worked as a group.

"Collaboration and cooperation between Europol and our international law enforcement partners such as the FBI is essential if we are to bring these child sex abuse networks to justice and prevent the distribution of child exploitation material across the internet," said Rob Wainwright, Europol's Director.

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller also welcomed the arrests, saying the FBI shares actionable intelligence and resources to keep children safe. "Online child predators and child exploitation are not just an American problem," he said. They are global problems. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners around the world, such as Europol, to combat these horrendous crimes."

In December 2011, Europol said police across 22 European countries arrested 112 suspects in an operation which targeted those who shared the most extreme forms of child pornography, which includes video material of babies and toddlers being sexually abused and raped. From just one suspect in Denmark, police seized a quantity of 29 terabytes of data.

And in March 2011, Europol announced 184 people had been arrested in what is believed to have been the world's largest online pedophile network. The investigation centered on the Netherlands-based website boylover.net, which attracted more than 70,000 members at its height.

The website operated as a discussion-only forum where people could share their desire about sexual contact with young boys, without committing any specific offence. However, some members of the website would eventually move to private channels such as e-mail to exchange illegal images and videos of children being abused.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-03-01

[ralphlsasser]

Sick ba$tard$

[GentlemanJim]

Great Policing work by those involved. The effects on the officers who have to investigate this type of crime are often severe as they witness the most harrowing abuse of children. The service these policemen are providing to society and in particular the innocent children is outstanding. I hope the 8 children that were rescued in the operation can be rehabilitated and given proper love and care by a family that understands the torment they have been through.