Police said Wednesday they have smashed a huge international pedophile ring, rescuing 230 children from abuse and arresting 184 suspects — including teachers and police officers.
The three-year investigation codenamed Operation Rescue identified and safeguarded children in more than 30 countries by arresting people suspected of abusing them, said Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union police agency Europol.
The ring was centered on an Amsterdam-based online forum called boylover.net, which Wainwright described as “probably the largest online pedophile network in the world.”
The heavily encrypted forum, whose administrator appeared in a Dutch court on Tuesday charged with sex offenses, had up to 70,000 members.
The investigation was led by Britain’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre but also involved law enforcement agencies as far afield as Australia, the United States and Thailand.
Peter Davies of the British child protection center said there would be more arrests as the investigations continue.
“Those who have been members of the site can expect a knock on the door in the very near future,” he said. In Britain, police said, the children involved were aged between 7 and 14.
Wainwright said the website was intended as a discussion forum where pedophiles could “share their sexual interest in young boys.”
However, after making initial contact on the forum, members would use e-mail and other electronic channels to share images and video of children being abused, Wainwright said.
The majority of the 184 people arrested so far are suspected of direct involvement in sexually abusing children, They include teachers, police officers and scout leaders. One Spaniard who worked at summer youth camps is suspected of abusing some 100 children over five years.
