Authorities in the U.S. and Australia arrested nearly 100 people Tuesday in connection to a suspected pedophile ring that was uncovered after two FBI agents were killed while investigating an accused child abuser.
A total of 79 people were arrested in the U.S. and an additional 19 were apprehended in Australia, the FBI and the Australian Federal Police said in a joint press conference Tuesday.
The investigation also produced 65 indictments and 43 convictions in the U.S. Thirteen children have been rescued by investigators.
The FBI learned of the alleged ring’s international reach after special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were shot to death by David Lee Huber outside his Florida apartment in February 2021, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Alfin and Schwartzenberger were trying to execute a search warrant at Huber’s home for child abuse material when the suspect opened fire through his front door.
Huber also wounded three other agents and was killed in the exchange.
The FBI told Australian authorities that Huber was part of an international “peer to peer network” with “some offenders committing offenses for over 10 years,” AFP Cmdr. Helen Schneider said during the press conference.
The AFP said the Australian suspects made their own child abuse material and shared it among other members of the network over the dark web.
“Viewing, distributing and producing child abuse material is a horrific crime, and the lengths that this network went to avoid detection is an indication of just how dangerous they were,” Cmdr. Schneider said.
Nitiana Mann, the FBI’s legal attache in Canberra, Australia, said more than 200 international leads were sent to partner countries as a result of the investigation. An additional 300 investigations opened as a result of the joint operation.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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