It was among the most traumatic days in the FBI’s history: on February 2, 2021, two agents were killed when a suspect in a child abuse case opened fire on them as they tried to
US-Australia child sex abuse sting: 98 arrests in inquiry that followed murder of FBI agents
Some of the arrested men had been committing offences for more than 10 years, and many were experienced in computing and programming. Photo / 123RF
The men were “members of a technologically sophisticated online child abuse network” who shared pedophilia materials through the dark web and used encryption to avoid detection, said Helen Schneider, a commander with the Australian Federal Police.
In 2021, two FBI special agents involved in the case, Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, were killed while executing a search warrant in Sunrise, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale.
![Slain FBI agents Laura Schwartzenberger and Daniel Alfin.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/GQIDABB7DFGYVNACXSSOM6EMZU.jpg?auth=e6e5df5b6c039bbde5ae3b6c0527afdf462aa55c9d47505ca35daf5445381a0d&width=16&height=13&quality=70&smart=true)
The suspect, David Huber, opened fire as the agents approached his apartment, killing them and injuring three others, the FBI said. Huber was found dead inside the apartment after having apparently taken his own life.
It was the first time FBI agents had been shot dead in the line of duty since 2008, when a special agent, Samuel Hicks, 33, was killed while serving a search warrant near Pittsburgh.
“After their murder, the FBI commenced an international operation targeting offenders on the platform,” the Australian police said in a statement.
The Australian operation began in 2022 when the FBI shared information about local members of the network who were sharing — and in some cases creating — pedophilia materials, Schneider said.
It was a “complex investigation”, she said, because members of the network used software to anonymously share files and chat on message boards, the police said.
“The lengths this network went to avoid detection is an indication of just how dangerous they were,” she added.
Some of the men had been committing offences for more than 10 years, Schneider said, adding that many were experienced in computing and programming or worked in information and communication technology positions.
One of the men convicted in Australia was a public servant who pleaded guilty to 24 charges and was sentenced to 14 years in prison, the Australian police said. The other was a call centre operator who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to possessing an estimated 5TB of materials depicting child abuse.
Some of the 13 children removed from harm had been abused, while others were taken as a safety precaution, the Australian police said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Yan Zhuang
©2023 THE NEW YORK TIMES