The murder of two FBI agents led Australian police to rescue 13 children from an alleged pedophile ring.
Authorities have charged 19 men for allegedly taking part in a ‘dark’ web child abuse network after rescuing a dozen children nationwide, as per The Guardian.
The rescue mission was sparked after two FBI agents, Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, were shot in Sunrise, Florida while preparing to conduct a search into an apartment containing child abuse material in 2021.
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The owner of that apartment was David Lee Huber, 55, which the FBI agents served a search warrant to.
Huber fired his assault rifle as agents approached his door before killing himself thereafter.
Operation Bakis was subsequently launched, leading Australian Federal Police (AFP) to uncover men who were allegedly a part of a user-sharing platform, which traded sexually exploitative images of children.
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In some cases, these suspects even created their own images.
The rescue mission also managed to save 13 children who were directly abused and others as a safety precaution, while 19 men, whose ages range from 32 to 81, were arrested as well.
“Members used software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network,” the AFP said in a statement.
“Network members were able to search for and distribute images and videos of child abuse material, and allegedly used encryption and other methods to avoid law enforcement detection.”
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Two Australian offenders have been sentenced, with others remaining before the courts.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider said removing children from harm and holding these men accountable was always a priority for law enforcement.
“The success of Operation Bakis was only possible because of the close working relationship between the AFP-led ACCCE and the FBI, and our dedicated personnel who never give up working to identify children who are being sexually assaulted or living with someone who is sharing child abuse material,” she said in a statement.
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"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 added that some of these men had been committing child abuse offences for over 10 years.
FBI Legal Attaché Nitiana Mann also praised the ‘longstanding relationship with the Australian Federal Police’, which resulted in these arrests.
“The complexity and anonymity of these platforms means that no agency or country can fight these threats alone,” she said.
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“As we continue to build bridges through collaboration and teamwork, we can ensure the good guys win and the bad guys lose.”
Charisa Bossinakis