Australian police charged 19 men with child sex abuse as part of Operation Bakis
Australian Federal Police
- Australian law enforcement arrested 19 men allegedly involved in an international paedophile ring.
- Thirteen children were rescued from the abuse network, which allegedly shares child abuse material on the internet.
- Two FBI agents were killed while investigating the network in 2021.
Nineteen men linked to a “sophisticated” international paedophile network were charged with child sex abuse offences by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) after a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Operation Bakis stems from the murder of two FBI agents, Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, who were shot dead in Florida while investigating the network in 2021. After the incident, the FBI launched an international operation targeting the group.
Most of the accused have jobs that require advanced ICT knowledge and they allegedly distributed child abuse material online via encrypted platforms to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Most of the accused have jobs that require advanced ICT knowledge and they allegedly distributed child abuse material online via encrypted platforms to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Most of the accused have jobs that require advanced ICT knowledge and they allegedly distributed child abuse material online via encrypted platforms to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Most of the accused have jobs that require advanced ICT knowledge and they allegedly distributed child abuse material online via encrypted platforms to avoid detection by law enforcement.
In a statement on Tuesday 8 August, AFP Commander Helen Schneider said 13 Australian children were rescued from the clutches of the ring, which allegedly uses encryption to share child abuse material on the dark web.
The accused used software to anonymously share files, messages and search for child abuse material within the network.
Schneider said criminals using encryption and the dark web are pose a challenge for law enforcement, but that Operation Bakis showed alleged offenders could be brought before the court when agencies worked together.
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.
The suspects are aged between 32 and 81 years old. Two of the men, including a public servant in the Australian Capital Territory, have been sentenced thus far, and the others are awaiting trial.
The AFP said most of the alleged offenders – accused of producing their own child abuse material – have jobs requiring advanced computer knowledge.
READ | Australian man charged with sex crimes against 91 young girls
Last week, a 45-year-old former childcare worker was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing 91 children over 15 years. It has been described as one of the “most horrific” child sex abuse cases in Australia’s history.
-Additional reporting by Al Jazeera.
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