The Berlin police searched 20 suspects' homes on suspicion of child and youth pornography. The police officers confiscated computers and cell phones in particular on Tuesday morning, as was reported.
The alleged perpetrators are accused of having received pornographic recordings of children and young people from others, downloaded them from the Internet or have distributed them. The police said it was about the initial suspicion of "possession, possession and distribution of child pornography and youth pornography".
The investigations were directed against 20 suspects, said a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office. Their private homes would be searched. According to initial findings, these are individual cases and not a network. Around 40 police officers are on the road, the police said on Twitter.
Hints came from the USA
According to the prosecutor, the information about the suspects was obtained via Whatsapp groups or came from the US non-governmental organization NCMEC ("National Center for Missing and Exploited Children"). American Internet providers are obliged to report suspected cases of child pornography to this center.
The NCMEC forwards the leads, which often contain private IP addresses of computers, to the police. When it comes to IP addresses in Germany, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is informed, which in turn involves the LKAs in the federal states. The users of the IP addresses are then determined. Due to the large number of tips from the USA, the number of investigations into the possession, production and distribution of abuse content has also recently increased in Germany.
The motives of the suspects and the severity of the allegations are different, the police wrote. "Pedosexuals, for example, create the material themselves, collectors are constantly looking for 'new' things. Occasional consumers and recently also young people distribute child pornographic files for entertainment purposes."
By searching and confiscating computers on which relevant photos or videos are stored, the police want to clarify which specific allegation is involved and at the same time secure evidence for indictments and convictions.
The police warned on Tuesday that the mere possession or forwarding of images via the Internet could lead to criminal proceedings and searches. She tweeted several examples of allegations to deter possible perpetrators.
