Prosecutors in Germany make arrests and take down international porn ring on darknet containing "images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers".
ADVERTISEMENTProsecutors in Germany say they have busted one of the biggest darknet platforms in the world for child pornography.
Authorities said the "Boystown" site was used by more than 400,000 registered members.
Paedophiles used the platform to exchange and view pornography involving children and toddlers, most of them boys, from all over the world, they added.
Investigators said they found "images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers" among the photos and video material.
Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement -- together with the Federal Criminal Police Office -- that in mid-April three German suspects, said to be the administrators of the platform, were arrested along with a German user. One of the three main suspects was arrested in Paraguay.
They also searched seven buildings in Germany in connection with the case.
International police operation
German police carried out the investigation in cooperation with Europol as well as law enforcement agencies from the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, the United States and Canada.
The three main suspects were a 40-year-old man from Paderborn, a 49-year-old man from Munich, and a 58-year-old man from northern Germany who had been living in Paraguay for many years.
The prosecutors' statement said they worked as administrators of the site and gave advice to members on how to evade law enforcement when using the platform for illegal child pornography.
A fourth suspect, a 64-year-old man from Hamburg, is accused of being one of the most active users of the platform having allegedly uploaded more than 3,500 posts.
Germany has requested the extradition of the suspect who was arrested in Paraguay.
No names were given in line with German privacy regulations. After the raids in mid-April, the online platform was shut down.