New Zealand-led probe uncovers online child abuse network

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — New Zealand authorities and the European Union’s police agency say a long-running global investigation into child abuse images shared online has led to the arrest of dozens of suspects in New Zealand. New Zealand authorities said in a statement Wednesday that the child abuse material “is some of the most egregious investigators have been exposed to.” EU police agency Europol says the international investigation has led to the opening of 836 cases internationally, the arrests of 46 suspects in New Zealand and the protection of 146 children worldwide. Authorities say investigators identified some 90,000 online accounts that had possessed or traded the shocking abuse images.