Italian Police Break up International Paedophile Network

The Guardian
March 8, 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/08/italian-police-break-up-paedophile-network?CMP=twt_fd

Ten people arrested in Italy, US, France and Portugal, with another 112 investigated on suspicion of child pornography offences

Italian police have broken up a paedophile network, spanning at least 28 countries, that used social media to swap pornographic images and videos of child abuse.

Ten people have been arrested in Italy, the US, France and Portugal and another 112 are being investigated on suspicion of child pornography offences, the Italian NIT computer crime police bureau said in a statement.

Police carried out raids in several countries on Thursday in what they called Operation Nanny to dismantle what NIT said was an extensive international community of paedophiles.

Investigators froze computer data in US social network servers and took down several online communities that served to recruit new members and pool illegal material.

The data revealed an Italian-founded criminal group with more than 700 followers around the world, exchanging thousands of images and videos, NIT said.