Police in the German capital, Berlin, on Tuesday raided some 20 properties across the city, executing separate search warrants for the possession and distribution of images of the sexual abuse of children.
According to prosecutors, the cases were not part of a network. The raids were conducted with information about the different suspects garnered through online investigations and information from US authorities.
What we know so far
Some 40 officers were involved in the searches with police departments across the city involved in investigations led by the Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigations.
Shortly after 6 a.m. local time (0500 UTC), officers rang the doorbells of apartments across Berlin, handing over search warrants to the suspects, and searching the dwellings for criminal evidence.
At some properties, officers removed computer hardware for investigation.
Information about the suspects was also gathered and investigated through WhatsApp messaging groups and via the US-based NGO the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children" (NCMEC).
Internet service providers are now required by the police to report suspicious cases to this office. NCMEC then forwards the information to investigative agencies.
The motives of suspects were varied, police said.
