France: Accused child porn ringleader arrested

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - French police announced Monday the arrest of the accused leader of a child pornography ring, suspected of producing and spreading abusive photos and videos on the dark net, the seamy, hidden internet.

The 40-year-old was taken into custody on July 7 in the town of Cenac near the city of Bordeaux in southwestern France, where he lives with his wife and two children.

The arrest was made by a specialized anti-violence agency of the French police force along with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, headquartered in The Hague, which works to bring down larger-scale crime operations and networks. He was identified as one of "10 priority global targets" by law enforcement for the pornographic sites.

The suspect allegedly made the images and videos available only through the dark net, or sites that can only be accessed by using specific software or authorizations in order to disguise the identity of those involved.

In addition, the suspect is allegedly responsible for the production of photos and videos himself, along with administering and monitoring thousands of pornographic sites.

According to official records made public on franceinfo, the network established by the suspect "allowed thousands of internet users around the world to access photos or videos of a child pornography nature."

After being taken into police custody, the man was also charged with the incestuous rape of a minor and incestuous sexual assault of a 15-year-old. The suspect reportedly admitted to his guilt.