Several computers and hard drives were seized as part of the investigation into the production and possession of child abuse material. Photo: AFP.
UPDATE 10:30 am – The AFP has revealed some of the 19 people accused of taking part in a “technologically sophisticated” online child abuse network had potentially been offending for more than a decade.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider said the lengths the accused went to to hide their offending through encryption and the dark web showed “just how dangerous they were”.
“Viewing, distributing and producing child abuse material is an horrific crime,” she said.
“While we have charged 19 people … we are continuing to work with state and territory partners, and won’t rule out more arrests at this stage.”
Commander Schneider said the “complex investigation” wouldn’t have been possible without the coordinated effort of police agencies across the country and internationally.
“I think this outcome should definitely serve as a warning to those preying on our most vulnerable,” she said.
“We will find you and we will arrest you.”
FBI legal attaché Nitiana Mann said the agency’s investigation had led to 79 arrests and 43 convictions in the United States already, with 303 FBI investigations opened as a result.
The agency also sent 211 information packages to law enforcement agencies across the globe as part of their investigations, including to Australia which resulted in these arrests.
“[Those packages] contained the information needed by 211 countries to take their own actions with respect to bringing justice to those children,” Ms Mann said.
“[They were] sent evenly throughout the world … and today we celebrate the rescue of 13 children [in Australia].”
The investigations continue.
9:30 am – Two Canberra men are among 19 people charged as part of an AFP-coordinated investigation into a sophisticated online child abuse network.
Thirteen Australian children have also been removed from harm as part of the operation, including five from the ACT.
Operation Bakis was developed as a joint investigation between the AFP and police agencies across the country following the murders of two FBI agents in Florida in 2021.
FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were shot dead by an offender when they executed a search warrant as part of a related investigation.
The FBI were already conducting an international operation targeting offenders online when the agents were killed.
The agency shared information with the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) with intelligence about a peer-to-peer network allegedly sharing child abuse material on the dark web.
Most of the alleged Australian offenders, some who have also been accused of producing their own child abuse material to share with other members of the network, were employed in areas that require a high degree of ICT knowledge.
Members used software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network.
They were able to search for and distribute images and videos of child abuse material, and allegedly used encryption and other methods to avoid detection by law enforcement.
One ACT public servant pleaded guilty to 24 charges – relating to his infant daughter, toddler son and the possession of child abuse material – and was sentenced to 14.5 years’ prison by the ACT Supreme Court in June.
The other alleged Canberra offender remains before the courts.
Operation Bakis involved police officers in the ACT, NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.
The alleged Australian offenders were aged between 32 and 81 years old.
It has been alleged some of the children removed from harm had been directly abused, while others were removed as a child safety precaution.
In NSW, five people have been arrested with 13 charges laid between them, and two children removed from harm.
One person – a call centre operator on the Central Coast – was sentenced in June to five years imprisonment after pleading guilty to possessing an estimates five terabytes of child abuse material.
Police operations across the country resulted in the arrest of 19 people. Photo: AFP.
Five alleged offenders were arrested in Queensland and are facing 45 charges, with four children removed from harm.
Another two children were rescued in South Australia and five alleged offenders are facing 16 charges.
While one person from Tasmania and one person from Western Australia are facing five charges each.
The related FBI investigation has led to 79 people being arrested for their alleged involvement in the network.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider said removing children from harm and bringing alleged offenders before the courts was always a priority for law enforcement.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
While FBI legal attaché Nitiana Mann said by working together, they could ensure “the good guys win and the bad guys lose”.
“The complexity and anonymity of these platforms means that no agency or country can fight these threats alone,” she said.
Officers from all Australian jurisdictions said the collaboration between international and national law enforcement agencies meant people taking part in the abuse of children had no where to hide.
“The strong relationship we have with our colleagues in the FBI and the ACCCE resulted in ACT Policing receiving accurate and comprehensive intelligence,” Detective Inspector Stephanie Leonard said.
“We used this to undertake a complex, inter-jurisdictional investigation, resulting in the arrest, prosecution, and incarceration of offenders who may otherwise have escaped detection.
“The ACT community is undoubtedly safer as a result of this operation.”
If you have information about people involved in child abuse, contact the ACCCE. If you know the abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
More to come.
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