Europol coordinates a major crackdown against online child sex abuse file-sharing networks
‘Operation Icarus’ has helped to identify 269 suspects and arrest 112 suspects, spread across 22 involved countries thanks to a major crackdown against online child sex abuse file-sharing networks carried out by law enforcement agencies from 26 European countries, supported and coordinated by Europol.
Europol, the European Law Enforcement Agency has coordinated the ‘Operation Icarus’ which targeted those sharing the most extreme forms of video material, which included babies and toddlers being sexually abused and raped. The law enforcement agencies from 26 European countries, supported and coordinated by Europol, has helped to identify 269 suspects and arrest 112 suspects, spread across 22 involved countries. This is not the first time, Europol is coordinating an operation of this kind. In March 2011, Europol coordinates police operation against World's largest online paedophile ring.
According to Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol, this is the latest major success in over 10 years of Europol supporting law enforcement agencies in Europe in their fight against child sex abuse online. This operation shows how the internet is helping offenders to develop better techniques for sharing images on a global basis and for protecting their identity. The Europol Director also stressed that the investigations are ongoing and more arrests are expected. Special focus will be on identifying the producers of the material, the suspects and their victims.
Operation Icarus is the first operation concluded under the auspices of the new action plan of the COSPOL Internet Related Child Abuse Material Project (CIRCAMP), an initiative by EU police chiefs led by Belgium and funded by the European Commission. This operation was initiated during a CIRCAMP meeting at the start of 2011. It was agreed that the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Danish Police (DK NITEC) should be the lead country and carry out the investigations. An operational meeting was organised at Europol in September 2011, to disseminate intelligence packages to the involved EU Member States and countries with a Europol operational agreement. Intelligence and additional information was disseminated by Europol through its secure information system in order to guarantee the integrity of data and to ensure a fast reaction in the concerned countries. Europol’s cooperation network will also facilitate further investigations by involving partners such as Eurojust and Interpol when needed.