"Key player" in international child porn network arrested in Zaandam
The police arrested a man from Zaandam on July 13 on suspicion of playing a key role in an international child pornography network. The court in Rotterdam recently remanded him into custody for 90 days, the police said on Wednesday.
The police launched this child pornography investigation, called 26Helston, in October last year after information from the United States that the suspect may be involved in an international child pornography network. The U.S. authorities believed that he formed part of a group responsible for establishing an online child pornography chat platform and several standalone child pornography websites.
The Dutch police investigated and found that the 46-year-old man had surrounded himself with heavy digital security. “That fits with the important role he fulfilled: the technical maintenance of one of the world’s leading internet forums where child sexual abuse material is shared.”
After getting permission from the Public Prosecution Service (OM) and the examining magistrate, the police used its legal hacking powers to secretly break into the man’s devices. “This gave investigators a comprehensive picture of the extent of the suspect’s criminal conduct,” the police said. The police gained access to his files, illegal material in his possession, and actions he performed for the forum, which will be used as evidence in the case against him.
The investigation is ongoing.
