Prosecutors in Germany have busted one of the world’s largest darknet platforms for child pornography, used by more than 400,000 registered members.
Frankfurt authorities said in a statement Monday that, alongside the Federal Criminal Police Office, they arrested three German suspects in mid-April believed to be the administrators for the website, according to the Associated Press.
One of the three suspects was arrested in Paraguay and Germany has since requested his extradition. The three men, whose names have not been released, are ages 40, 49, and 58, the Evening Standard reported.
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The three men allegedly gave site members advice on how to evade law enforcement when using the platform to view, upload, or download illegal child pornography.
A fourth suspect, a 64-year-old man, has also been arrested, accused of being one of the platform’s most prolific users, having allegedly uploaded more than 3,500 posts. Much of the content, prosecutors say, contained “images of [the] most severe sexual abuse of toddlers.”
“The platform had several forums and chats — the illegal pictures and videos were kept in the forums; in the chats, the members could communicate,” prosecutor Julia Bussweiler told the AP. “There were several language channels to facilitate communication.”
The bust was an international undertaking, with cooperation from the U.S. and Europol, as well as law enforcement agencies in Sweden, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands.
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German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer praised the global group of authorities who participated in the investigation into the platform.
“This investigative success has a clear message: those who assault the weakest aren’t safe anywhere,” Seehofer said. “That’s what investigators work for day and night, online and offline, globally.”
“We’ll do everything within our power to protect the kids from these disgusting crimes,” he added.