Police apprehended more than 30 suspects in fourteen different counties around Sweden, and also confiscated a number of computers.
“It’s important to take coordinated action against all the suspects in order to secure evidence,” said Stefan Kronqvist, head of the IT-crimes section at the National Criminal Investigation Department (NCID), in a statement.
Those taken in for questioning are suspected of possessing and distributing child pornography. Some cases also involve suspicions of child rape.
Local police and prosecutors will now carry out subsequent investigations in coordination with NCID, which carried out the long-term surveillance work leading to the raids.
“This is an acknowledgment that the new organization, which involves local police agencies carrying out the investigation of child pornography, is effective,” said Kronqvist.
“The new way of working has freed up resources at NCID, which can now instead devote more energy and time to the active surveillance of people engaged in child pornography.”
The operation, code named “Edmund”, only involves Swedish citizens and as yet has no international connections.
According to the police, the suspects belong to a loose network of around 30 people who discuss the sexual assault of children on an internet discussion forum.
A number of the suspects have also used the forum to distribute and receive child pornography.
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