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FBI AGENTS and
local police seized computers in 22 states, said the U.S. Customs Service
which carried out the U.S. end of the operation. The raids stretched from
Kennebunk, Maine, to Santa Ana, Calif., and included suspects ranging from
school teachers to a scientist. 100,000 IMAGES British police coordinated the raids in Europe and Australia, recovering more than 100,000 indecent images of children, some of whom look as young as two. Police said up to 10 other countries were planning additional raids in connection with the ring. And they feared that when all the confiscated databases are sorted the number of children’s images will run into the millions. “The content would absolutely turn the stomach of any right-minded person,” said Detective Superintendent John Stewardson, who led the operation from Britain. “It is disgusting stuff.” “People who engage themselves in this kind of depraved activity have felt relatively secure up until now in the knowledge that the Internet is virtually un-policed,” he added. “This coordinated action around the world has demonstrated that that is no longer the case.” Police said 11 people were arrested in Britain in dawn raids across the country. In cooperation with the U.S. Customs Service, Interpol, and other police forces, 32 addresses were raided in the United States, 18 in Germany, 16 in Italy, eight in Norway, and one or two in Finland, Belgium, Austria, France, Sweden and Portugal. SAN JOSE RING MSNBC has learned that Tuesday’s raid evolved out of an earlier 1996 investigation into the “Orchid Club,” a pedophilia ring based in San Jose, Calif., that used video cameras to broadcast the sexual abuse of children live over the Internet. After the “Orchid Club” arrests, investigators confiscated computers used by the group’s leaders and performed a forensic analysis of the contents. “Lo and behold, we stumbled upon references to this other club,” said Pat Jones, U.S. Customs press officer. “But it turned out to be much more difficult to crack.” According to the U.S. Customs Service, the “Wonderland Club” used sophisticated encryption codes, some of which were originally developed by the KGB. Over the summer, investigators uncovered the names of more than 190 suspects, which were later divided among law enforcement agencies according to country. “We got 90 suspects, and narrowed it down to 34,” said Don Huyche, program manager for the U.S. Customs Child Pornography Program. To become a member of the Wonderland Club, a candidate had to be approved by at least three other members, and needed to show that he or she had access to 10,000 images and was willing to trade them, said Huyche. After targeting suspects, police officials from the participating countries met over the summer at Interpol headquarters in France to prepare the action. LARGEST SUCH RAID Stewardson said it was the biggest ever police assault on pedophile activity on the Internet. “As far as we are aware this has been done before, but we don’t believe on this scale. Any sort of seizures from this type of offense previously were in the region of 10,000 images. The databases we have currently in connection with this contain over 100,000 images so it is considerably bigger than anything else.” British police said the majority of those arrested were men but some were women. Some of the children whose images were used in the pedophile club were related to those arrested. Charges have not yet been filed and will differ from country to country according to their different judicial systems. But charges could range from possession of pornographic material to the more serious offense of sexual abuse of children. HOPING TO HELP CHILDREN Stewardson said British police were particularly concerned with trying to help the children who had been sexually abused and whose pictures had been circulated by the club. They said they hoped to trace the young victims — girls and boys, some of whom appeared to be only about two years old — and offer them support and counseling. “With the number involved it will be a very difficult task but it is one that we will need to do. There is a horrendous legacy from this criminality and that is the numbers of abused children around the world,” Stewardson said. Photos that can be identified as being made in a particular country or city will be handed off to local authorities who will attempt to identify and locate the children. Marcus Lawson, an investigator with the U.S. Customs Child Pornography Program, said it’s important to understand the magnitude of the crimes. “These are people who are seeking opportunities to have sex with pre-pubescent kids,” said Lawson. “They’re not just taking pictures of them naked on a bearskin rug. They’re actually having sex with them. The victims have to live with this crime for the rest of their lives. I don’t know anyone who’s been through this who hasn’t suffered long into their life from the effects.” THE INTERNET’S ROLE While traffic in videotapes and print child pornography has decreased in recent years, pedophiles have increasingly turned to the Internet for a steady supply of pornography and children to molest. Law enforcement departments worldwide have identified the Internet as the most prevalent medium through which sex offenders share child pornography and lure children into sexual relationships. While the Internet has provided a environment for pedophiles, it has also brought the issue of child pornography into public view. In the past, child molesters operated largely in secrecy, allowing many to think it was something that couldn’t happen in their community. “It appears that the Internet has really fueled the issue,” said Don Huyche, an investigator with the U.S. Customs Child Pornography Department. “It’s brought more of this to the attention that there’s a real problem out there.” While there is no evidence to show that the Internet has increased the rate of child sexual abuse, investigators do not dispute the fact that child pornography chatrooms provide an environment where pedophiles can validate their urges and receive dangerous encouragement. “In these rooms, it’s all about I’m OK, you’re OK,” said Lawson. “It takes a lot of people who are or may be fence sitters, people who wouldn’t cross that line, and can easily convince them that it’s not that bad. A lot of people who in the past because of societal influence wouldn’t have acted on their impulses, now will be encouraged to act on it.” The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. |
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AP audio: U-S Customs Service
commissioner Raymond Kelly says the suspects share membership in a
perverse network
U.S. Customs anti-pedophilia
campaign
Concorde strip
linked to other plane