25 arrested as part of global crackdown on AI-generated child sex abuse images

28 February 2025, 13:55

Criminals distributing AI-generated images of child sexual abuse across the world have been targeted in a global police operation.

Police forces from the UK were among those from 19 countries taking part in the crackdown, which led to 25 people being arrested, 273 suspects identified and 33 homes being searched, a spokesman for EU law enforcement agency Europol said.

Europol's executive director Catherine De Bolle said: "These artificially generated images are so easily created that they can be produced by individuals with criminal intent, even without substantial technical knowledge.

"This contributes to the growing prevalence of child sexual abuse material, and as the volume increases, it becomes progressively more challenging for investigators to identify offenders or victims.

"Law enforcement will need to develop new investigative methods and tools to address these emerging challenges." Operation Cumberland, which was led by Danish law enforcement and remains ongoing, saw most arrests carried out simultaneously on February 26, the Europol spokesman said.

The spokesman added: "The main suspect, a Danish national who was arrested in November 2024, ran an online platform where he distributed the AI-generated material he produced.

"Following a symbolic online payment, users from around the world were able to obtain a password to access the platform and watch children being abused."

Europol team leader Danny van Althuis said between 500 and 1,500 images were sold online for a monthly fee.

He said: "The images were created with artificial intelligence and were highly realistic, so realistic actually that it becomes difficult for us to identify what is artificially generated and what's not.

"In our work we know that AI models are trained on real child sexual abuse material, so AI-generated images also have a link to real children being abused."

In the UK, the operation involved officers from the Online Child Covert Intelligence Team (OCCIT), the Metropolitan Police and Police Scotland along with Kent, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire forces.

Operation Cumberland is one of the of the first cases involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to Europol.

The spokesman said AI models, which generate or alter images, are widely available and have developed quickly, with output increasingly resembling genuine material.

As part of the operation, which involved forces from countries including Australia, France, Germany and The Netherlands, an online campaign will be launched to target potential offenders.