Interpol says 20 arrested in child sexual abuse operation across 12 countries
LYON, France (AP) — Global police organization Interpol says 20 people have been arrested in Europe and the Americas following a cross-border operation in 12 countries targeting child sexual abuse material.
The operation, led by Spanish police, started at the end of last year after police officers identified online messaging groups circulating child sexual exploitation images.
Spanish authorities arrested seven suspects, including a health care worker and a teacher, Interpol said. The health care worker allegedly paid minors in Eastern Europe for explicit images, while the teacher is accused of possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material via various online platforms.
Authorities in Latin America arrested 10 suspects in seven countries, including three in El Salvador and a teacher in Panama. The remaining suspects were arrested in other parts of Europe and the United States.
So far, 68 additional suspects have been identified, and investigations are ongoing, Interpol said.
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On June 4, 2020, Braunschweig state prosecutor Wolters said, via Reuters, "We assume that the girl is dead. The public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig is investigating a 43-year-old German national on suspicion of murder." Wolters told the BBC days later, "We have evidence against the accused which leads us to believe that he really killed Madeleine but this evidence is not strong enough at the moment to take him to court." The prosecutor said the evidence was "strong enough to say that the girl is dead and strong enough to accuse a specific individual of murder—that strong." But, Wolter added, "One has to be honest and remain open to the possibility that our investigation could end without a charge, that it ends like the others have. We are optimistic it will be different for us but for that we need more information." To this day, the Metropolitan Police still classify the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance as a missing persons case. 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And especially when you've got other children involved." "I think before Madeleine was taken, we felt we had managed to achieve a little perfect nuclear family of five," added Gerry, with a small smile. He cleared his throat. "And we had that for a short adapt and you have a new normality and, unfortunately for us, our new normality at the minute is a family of four." (Originally published June 17, 2020, at 7 a.m. PT) Robert Murat—a British national who lived not far from the Ocean Club and had volunteered to aid in the search for Madeleine when she first went missing—ended up winning upward of $750,000 in defamation damages from four U.K. media groups for coverage in their newspapers that strongly insinuated he was guilty of something. "It is hard to describe how utterly despairing it was to be named arguidos and subsequently portrayed in the media as suspects in our own daughter's abduction," Kate said at a news conference when she and her husband were officially cleared. 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Though the update was disturbing, a spokesperson for the McCann family told NBC News at the time it also felt like the most "significant" development in the case to date. "This is the only time in 13 years that police have been so specific about a suspect, down to the phone numbers, vehicles and particularly with a known individual," said Clarence Mitchell, a former BBC reporter who for awhile was the McCanns' full-time representative and still serves as a spokesman for the family. Gerry and Kate "were coping as best as they can but want the focus to remain on the police investigation," Mitchell said, adding, "They still remain hopeful." Kate told Sky News in 2017, "You don't realize how strong you are until you have no option, and I think that's very true. Obviously massive events like this cause a lot of reaction, a lot of trauma and upset, but ultimately you have to keep going. And especially when you've got other children involved." "I think before Madeleine was taken, we felt we had managed to achieve a little perfect nuclear family of five," added Gerry, with a small smile. He cleared his throat. "And we had that for a short adapt and you have a new normality and, unfortunately for us, our new normality at the minute is a family of four." (Originally published June 17, 2020, at 7 a.m. PT) For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
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