Nineteen men have been charged and 13 Australian children removed from harm following an investigation into a sophisticated online child abuse network, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Tuesday.
The AFP investigation began in 2022, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shared intelligence about Australian members of a peer-to-peer network allegedly sharing child abuse material on the dark web.
Members used software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network, the AFP alleged.
The AFP said some children who had been removed from harm had been directly abused, while others were removed as a child safety precaution.
AFP Commander, Helen Schneider, said removing children from harm and bringing alleged offenders before the courts was always a priority for law enforcement.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Bakis, was only possible because of the close working relationship between the AFP and the FBI, Schneider said.
“Criminals using encryption and the dark web are a challenge for law enforcement, but Operation Bakis shows that when we work together we can bring alleged offenders before the courts.
“Viewing, distributing or producing child abuse material is a horrific crime, and the lengths that these alleged offenders went to in order to avoid detection makes them especially dangerous.
“The longer they avoid detection the longer they can perpetuate the cycle of abuse,” Schneider said.
Operation Bakis had its origins in the murder of two FBI agents during a related investigation in Florida in 2021.
After the deaths the FBI commenced an international operation targeting offenders on the platform.
The related FBI investigation led to 79 people being arrested for their alleged involvement in the network. (dpa/NAN)
