The Hague, Netherlands: Police anounced on Wednesday they had smashed a huge international paedophile ring, rescuing 230 children from abuse and arresting 184 suspects including teachers and police officers.
The three-year investigation codenamed Operation Rescue identified and safeguarded children in more than 30 countries by arresting people suspected of abusing them, said Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union police agency Europol.
The ring was centred on an Amsterdam-based online forum called boylover.net, which Wainwright described as "probably the largest online paedophile network in the world."
The heavily encrypted forum, whose administrator appeared in a Dutch court on Tuesday charged with sex offences, had up to 70,000 members.
The investigation was led by Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre but also involved law enforcement agencies as far afield as Australia, the United States and Thailand.
More arrests
Peter Davies of the British child protection centre said there would be more arrests as the investigations continued.
"Those who have been members of the site can expect a knock on the door in the very near future," he said. In Britain, children involved were aged between seven and 14.
Wainwright said the website was intended as a discussion forum where paedophiles could "share their sexual interest in young boys."
However, after making initial contact on the forum, members would use e-mail and other electronic channels to share images and videos of children being abused, Wainwright said.
The majority of the 184 people arrested so far are suspected of direct involvement in sexually abusing children, They include teachers, police officers and scout leaders.
A Spanish person who worked at summer youth camps is suspected of abusing 100 children over five years.
After his arrest, the forum's Dutch administrator helped police crack the complex web of encryption measures shielding users' identities, allowing police to begin covert investigations that included posing as children online.
Australian Federal Police commander Grant Edwards said suspects arrested in Australia were aged from 19 to 84 and used the internet to "prey on children with anonymity, with subterfuge and with camouflage."
Children, Edwards said, "should be able to use the internet safely, without fear of being approached or groomed by these online predators."
- 30 nations at-risk children are identified in
- 70,000 number of members in online forum
- 7-14 ages of British children involved in site
- 184 number of people arrested so far
