German police identifies 1,600 potential child sex-abuse suspects

Police officers in Germany have identified more than 1,600 potential child-sex abuse suspects who might have been involved in child pornography and zoophilia.

As per the police, these suspects might have participated in online chat groups that shared child pornographic material, and many of the participants are minors.

The main participants were majorly from the US, Switzerland, Austria, and France in the chat groups. A lot of people were also identified from different parts of the country.

Now, the suspects are being processed and interrogated as part of "two large-scale trials" by police and prosecutors, the Bavarian police reported. The statement also added that if these suspects are proven guilty and convicted, they could face jail time for no less than a year.

This matter came to light when some police officers in the Bavarian town of Amberg came across a graphic advertisement that showed several images and videos of sex acts with children, animals, and adolescents.

"The distribution of child and adolescent pornography has increased markedly in recent years and is an area of focus for us in many investigations," said Peter Krämer, deputy head of criminal police investigations in Amberg. "As well as people with pedophile tendencies, it is often children and adolescents who share material like this in group chats without thinking, and who therefore regularly open themselves up to criminal prosecution."