Man arrested in Ancona for possession of over 500,000 child sexual abuse files, social media channel shut down
Guardia di Finanza investigation in Ancona; suspect linked to criminal networks on the web
Man arrested in Ancona for possession of over 500,000 child sexual abuse files
A man has been arrested in Ancona for possession of child sexual abuse material following an investigation lasting several months, according to ANSA News. Over 500,000 files comprising videos and images were found stored on his computer equipment, totalling more than 2 terabytes, organised in a branched structure of folders and subfolders.
The material, which was explicitly of a child sexual abuse nature, depicted sexual abuse of minors — in some cases bordering on torture. The charges against the man are aggravated by possession of a "substantial quantity" of files and by the use of computer tools designed to prevent identification of network access data.
The operation was conducted by the GICO of the Economic and Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza in Ancona, coordinated by the Ancona Public Prosecutor's Office. Investigators employed advanced technologies and military specialists in Computer Forensics and Data Analysis (CFDA).
At the conclusion of the investigation, the files and numerous computers and smartphones were seized. A website and a channel on a well-known communication and social media platform were also shut down.
According to investigators, the suspect was embedded in criminal networks that exploit internet interconnections for the systematic sharing of child sexual abuse material, including through peer-to-peer technology. The man allegedly used computer techniques to locate and store the material anonymously, concealing his browsing data.
Source: ANSA Cronaca