INTERPOL and its member countries following up on leads to identify unknown man in child sexual abuse images

7 May 2008

Officers at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat in Lyon, France and around the world are pursuing leads provided by members of the public in response to its global appeal to identify an unknown man pictured in a series of child sexual abuse images.

More than 250 leads of potential names, locations and photographs of the unidentified suspect have been received by INTERPOL. Information passed on by the public and police officers to INTERPOL National Central Bureaus in its 186 member countries are also being forwarded to the General Secretariat.

INTERPOL’s request for public assistance in identifying this man – only the second time in the Organization’s history that it has made such an appeal – attracted worldwide attention, with nearly 30 times more visitors to INTERPOL's website in the first 12 hours of the operation, compared to an average 24-hour period.

“The reaction to our appeal has been global and officers here at the INTERPOL General Secretariat, in our National Central Bureaus and specialist units around the world are now carefully assessing and analysing all information provided to ensure that any lead can be properly followed," said Kristin Kvigne, Assistant Director of INTERPOL's Trafficking in Human Beings unit which is leading Operation IDent.

“The public’s response has been very positive, and we would encourage anyone who believes they may know this person to contact either INTERPOL or their national police. The smallest piece of information from anywhere in the world could be crucial in identifying this man.”

Although there is great public interest in the man’s potential location, INTERPOL cannot comment on details of any information received.