Germany says took down major child sex images platform
German investigators said yesterday that they had dismantled a major platform for the distribution of child sex abuse images with 1.8 million users worldwide in an international operation coordinated by Europol.
The move to shut down the 'KidFlix' streaming service was 'one of the biggest blows against child pornography in recent years, if not ever', said Guido Limmer, deputy head of the Bavarian criminal police.
The investigation was led by German police and supported by authorities in 38 countries under the coordination of Europol.
In all, 'KidFlix' is said to have hosted more than 91,000 videos with images of child sex abuse, totalling around 6,288 hours of film, according to Bavarian police.
Authorities were able to identify almost 1,400 individual users of the platform, which was hosted on the so-called darknet.
Police in March carried out searches at locations in 31 countries in the 'largest operation ever' organised by Europol, according to Limmer.
A joint raid by German and Dutch authorities resulted in the seizure of a hard drive with around 72,000 videos of child sex abuse.
In Germany, police carried our raids at 96 locations, targeting 103 individual suspects, the Bavarian criminal police said.
German authorities said they had endeavoured to identify victims of child sex abuse while the investigation was still in progress. Police arrested a 36-year-old man in the eastern German city of Chemnitz in January 2024 who had searched for abuse images on 'KidFlix'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
"We'll Do It Ourselves!" Dutch Vigilantes Stop Cars At German Border In Protest Over Illegal Migration
A group of Dutch citizens staged an unauthorized border control operation this weekend between Ter Apel and the German village of Rütenbrock, citing frustration with what they describe as uncontrolled illegal immigration. Wearing reflective clothing and wielding torches, the group of around 12 men began stopping vehicles on Saturday evening along the N366, a key route between Germany and the Netherlands. The vigilantes, who pulled cars over and even inspected trunks, say they took action because authorities are failing to secure the border and stem the flow of asylum seekers entering the country. 'Nothing is happening. Then we'll do it ourselves,' said one activist, as cited by Algemeen Dagblad. The action, although brief, drew sharp criticism from police and government officials. The municipality of Westerwolde and Dutch police released a joint statement declaring that 'citizens are forbidden to stop cars' and that such actions 'create enormously dangerous situations' and are 'really unacceptable.' The vigilantes are believed to have violated road traffic laws, though it is unclear whether any formal charges will be brought. 🇳🇱‼️ Dutch vigilantes fed up with illegal immigration set up their own border controls with Germany this weekend, between Ter Apel and Rü Wilders, the PVV leader who just collapsed the Dutch government over asylum red lines, called it a "fantastic initiative." — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 8, 2025 One vehicle stopped by the group turned out to be a German police van. The officers promptly ordered the group to leave German soil, threatening to tow their vehicles if they did not comply. The activists relocated their checkpoint to a parking lot on the Dutch side of the border and continued stopping traffic from Germany. The group, reportedly organized via Facebook, primarily includes residents from the municipality of Westerwolde. Outgoing Justice and Migration Minister David van Weel, of the center-right VVD, responded by urging the group to stop. 'I understand the frustration, but I really call on this group not to do this,' he said. 'Let the police and military police do their job and abide by the law.' Van Weel acknowledged the Netherlands 'cannot handle the current influx,' but insisted that border enforcement must remain the responsibility of the authorities. Mayor Jaap Velema of Westerwolde expressed sympathy for the frustrations, citing 'the lack of solutions to the crisis in asylum reception,' but warned: 'This is not the way to express frustrations. We can't all drive through red lights either.' Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration PVV party, praised the citizens' actions on X, calling it a 'fantastic initiative' and adding, 'If [Prime Minister] Schoof and the VVD do not immediately deploy the army en masse for this, we will have to do it ourselves! I would like to participate next time!' Fantastisch overal aan de grens moeten gebeuren. Als Schoof en de VVD het leger niet meteen massaal hiervoor inzetten, moeten we het zelf maar doen!Ik wil de volgende keer graag meedoen!#asielstop #PVVOP1 #PVV — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) June 8, 2025 Wilders has been vocal about tightening the Dutch asylum regime. His party recently withdrew from the governing coalition after other parties refused to adopt his 10-point plan for what he called 'the strictest asylum policy ever.' The cabinet's collapse triggered early elections, which are scheduled to take place on Oct. 29, 2025. Van Weel reiterated the government's focus on 'stricter asylum laws and better border control.' Wilders, however, responded by accusing him of inaction. 'Weakling. You don't do anything at all. You could have had the army guard the borders now and sent away all asylum seekers on the basis of Article 72 TFEU, just like the Germans do,' he posted on social media. 'If people are frustrated, it is because the VVD is completely failing.' Ter Apel is the home of the Netherlands' largest asylum reception center, where officially around 2,000 asylum seekers are currently housed. In March, residents of Nieuw-Weerdinge, a Dutch town between Ter Apel and the nearest city of Emmen, launched a fundraiser in support of a 51-year-old local man convicted of assaulting an Algerian asylum seeker during an attempted citizen's arrest. He was found to have confronted an Algerian national from the reception center for allegedly stealing €40 from a delivery van. The town has established its own neighborhood watch app used by concerned residents to ensure anyone acting suspiciously in the area is identified after a surge in crime.
Daily Tribune
04-06-2025
- Daily Tribune
New police search begins in hunt for missing Madeleine McCann
AFP | Lagos, Portugal Portuguese and German police on Tuesday started a new search in the hunt for missing British toddler Madeleine McCann -- 18 years after she disappeared while on holiday with her parents. Madeleine, aged three, disappeared from an apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal, sparking an international campaign to find her and unprecedented media coverage. A previous search of a lake near the resort two years ago yielded no results, but on Tuesday investigators were back in a part of nearby Lagos to hunt for clues. Several police vehicles were seen driving down a dirt road and a Portuguese police spokeswoman confirmed that the search had begun, with about 25 German investigators present. The new searches are expected to continue until Friday and are being conducted at the request of German authorities investigating Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist who is suspected of having killed Madeleine. According to the British tabloid The Sun, investigators are equipped with ground radar technology that can scan the ground down to 4.5 metres (15 feet) in depth. The area includes a cottage where Brueckner was living near the Ocean Club resort and undergrowth. The area is dotted with wells and ditches, it added. Portuguese police refused to comment on the report when contacted by AFP. A mobile phone registered in Brueckner's name was traced close to the family's accommodation on the night Madeleine went missing. - Determined - Brueckner, 48, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape in 2005 of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz. His sentence is due to end in September. He was acquitted in October 2024 in Germany at trial for two sexual assaults and three rapes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The German authorities in 2020 said they were convinced of Brueckner's involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, which gained worldwide publicity and has seen several false leads. He has not been charged in connection with the McCann case. Brueckner, who according to German media had a string of previous convictions, including for sexual offences, assault and theft, worked as an odd-job man during his 10 years in the Algarve, but also burgled hotel rooms and holiday apartments. At the time of Madeleine's disappearance he was living in a camper van. A former neighbour in Portugal told Sky News television in 2020 that he was "always a bit angry, driving fast up and down the lane, and then one day, around 2006, he just disappeared without a word". He returned to Germany in 2007 -- the year Madeleine disappeared -- settling in Hanover, but still spent time in Portugal. On the 18th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance on May 3 this year, Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann said they were still determined to find out what happened. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering," they wrote on the website. "We will do our utmost to achieve this."
Gulf Insider
03-06-2025
- Gulf Insider
"We Must Not Hesitate" – German Justice Minister Open To AfD Ban
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, of the left-wing Social Democrats (SPD), is keeping the hope for a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) alive, saying a ban should still be on the table. She told German newspaper Rheinische Post a ban should not be 'dismissed for political reasons alone.' She also brushed away concerns that the AfD could 'once again portray itself as a victim' if ban proceedings are initiated. Most of the main German parties have advocated for an AfD ban, including many top politicians from the SPD. However, a vote must first pass in the German parliament, the Bundestag, and then be approved by the Bundesrat, which is represented by the 16 German states. From there, it would need to go to the top German court, the Constitutional Court, which could still reject such a ban as unconstitutional — a risk many opposed to a ban have cited for not moving forward with such a proposal. Hubig acknowledges that the legal hurdles remain high. A ban of the largest opposition party in the country, and one that has reached first place in some polls, would potentially end German democracy, but this is not deterring many from the German political establishment. Hubig said that it must be examined whether the AfD 'is systematically and actively opposing the free democratic order, and whether this can be proven.' She said that if such a finding is determined, the government is obligated to take action. 'Then we must not hesitate,' she said, saying that the Basic Law, the German constitution, is her 'compass.' She also claimed in the same interview that legal action against the AfD should not replace political debate. 'Because many people who vote for this party are not right-wing extremists. As democratic parties, we want to regain their trust,' she claimed, although, her openness to a ban appears to contradict this view. Even if a ban is voted on, it would likely still take years for the case to be decided by the Constitutional Court. Perhaps even more important is that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected such a ban, and without his Christian Democrats (CDU), there is no chance for such a ban at the moment. Merz not only ruled out a ban, but he used extraordinarily harsh language against the measure despite earlier rumors that he was receptive to such a ban. 'Working 'aggressively and militantly' against the free democratic basic order must be proven. And the burden of proof lies solely with the state. That is a classic task of the executive branch. And I have always internally resisted initiating ban proceedings from within the Bundestag. That smacks too much of political competition elimination to me,' he warned. For now, Merz holds most of the power in regard to an AfD ban, although his new coalition partners, the SPD, have hinted they would not accept a coalition agreement if a move towards a ban is not initiated. It remains unclear how far the SPD will go to get what they want regarding the AfD. Source Zero Hedge
