Australian police break up child porn network

AFP cybercrime operations manager Glen McEwen: ''The reach of the internet... attracts all walks of life''

Australian police say they have broken up a child pornography network with the arrest of at least 13 men nationwide.

Officers seized computer hardware containing hundreds of thousands of child exploitation images and videos, police said.

The network originated in Germany. The crackdown in Australia came after a tip from Interpol.

The men are alleged to have accessed and downloaded the images over a file-sharing network.

They will face charges for the offences that could lead to a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, said Australian media.

In an investigation codenamed Operation Belfort, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) searched properties in the states of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.