The murders of FBI agents Laura Schwartzenberger and Daniel Alfin, who were serving a warrant for child abuse material in Florida two years ago, have led to the arrest of 19 alleged pedophiles and the rescue of 13 children in Australia, investigators announced Tuesday. Photos courtesy of Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The murders of two FBI agents, while serving a warrant for child abuse material in Florida two years ago, have led to the arrest of 19 alleged pedophiles and the rescue of 13 children in Australia, authorities announced Tuesday.
Australian Federal Police revealed details of their investigation called Operation Bakis, which was launched following the agents' deaths, that led to the arrest of 19 men who are accused of creating or sharing child abuse material on the dark web.
"Members used software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network," the AFP said in a statement, adding that some used encryption to avoid detection for more than 10 years.
"Network members were able to search for and distribute images and videos of child abuse material and allegedly used encryption and other methods to avoid law enforcement detection."
Two of the men have been sentenced while others await trial, according to AFP.
Of the 13 children rescued, the AFP says some had been directly abused while others were removed for their safety.
FBI special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were shot to death and three other agents were wounded in February 2021 while serving a warrant at a suspect's home in South Florida.
Agents were serving a warrant for "a violent crimes against children case," the FBI said in a statement shortly after the shooting.
The suspect in the shooting, David Lee Huber, was being investigated for possession of child pornography. He died by suicide after barricading himself in the home.
Following Alfin's and Schwartzenberger's murders, the FBI launched an international operation targeting the dark-web network.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider told reporters they worked with the FBI to identify children being sexually assaulted or living with someone sharing child abuse material.
"Viewing, distributing or producing child abuse material is a horrific crime, and the lengths that these alleged offenders went to in order to avoid detection makes them especially dangerous -- the longer they avoid detection the longer they can perpetuate the cycle of abuse."
According to the AFP, 16,000 files were found on one of the men's hard drives with 800 child victims and a "pedophiles handbook" about how to talk to police if caught.
"Everything you do online leaves a trace," Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Glen Donaldson told reporters.
"To those predators who seek to exploit children online, remember the next person you engage with online could be a police officer."
