Ottawa man charged in global crackdown of major online child sexual exploitation platform

Authorities say one individual has been arrested in Ottawa in connection to an international operation against child exploitation.

Earlier this month, Europol announced the shutdown of Kidflix, one of the largest paedophile platforms in the world. The operation was led by German authorities with 37 other countries participating.

Nearly 1,400 suspects were identified, and 79 of those were arrested. One of those arrests was made in Ottawa.

OPS said its Internet Child Exploitation Section executed a search warrant at an Ottawa residence where computer systems and storage devices were seized. A 24-year-old man was charged in the process with one count of accessing child pornography.

The local investigation is still ongoing.

“The digital dimension has driven a rapid evolution in online child sexual exploitation, offering offenders a borderless platform to contact and groom victims, as well as to create, store, and exchange child sexual abuse material,” Catherine De Bolle, executive director of Europol, said in a press release. “Some attempt to frame this as merely a technical or cyber issue – but it is not. There are real victims behind these crimes, and those victims are children. As a society, we must act to protect our children.”

–With files from CityNews Edmonton News Staff