More than 100 arrests in child porn case

AMSTERDAM -- Police arrested 112 people in 22 countries after a yearlong investigation into child pornography, Europol said Friday, warning that technology is making combating the spread of child abuse images ever more difficult.

The operation targeted people sharing "the most extreme forms of video material," including images of babies and toddlers being sexually abused or raped, the European police coordination agency said.

There are 269 suspects so far and more arrests are likely after the operation uncovered previously unknown networks of child sex offenders operating on different Internet chat channels, said Europol director Rob Wainwright.

He called the operation a success, but noted in a statement it shows "how the Internet is helping offenders to develop better techniques for sharing images on a global basis and for protecting their identity."

"The problems involved are becoming harder to police," he said.

Among other issues, the sheer volume of encrypted material is daunting, and much of the information seized in raids is still awaiting analysis. A single suspect in Switzerland had more than 120 terabytes of data -- amounting to thousands of hours of high-definition video footage.

The investigation, code named "Operation Icarus," was carried out under the leadership of Danish police. Nineteen men from age 24 to 55 are facing preliminary charges in Denmark.

"It's a huge amount for our investigators to handle," said Hoejbjerg. -- AP