Worldwide raid: Large pedophile network Kidflix” dismantled in Austria!

Worldwide raid: Large pedophile network Kidflix” dismantled in Austria!

As part of a large-scale international operation to combat child abuse, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) announced figures for the so-called “Operation Stream” in Vienna on Wednesday. These investigations, which were led by the Bavarian Criminal Police and the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime in Bavaria, have now had an impact worldwide. Eleven house searches were carried out in Austria and one suspect was arrested.

The arrested suspect has a criminal history. The operation targets the “Kidflix” network, one of the largest pedophile platforms in the world, which was founded by a cybercriminal in 2021 and quickly gained popularity among pedophiles. To date, around 1.8 million users worldwide have registered on this platform. An alarming 91,000 videos were uploaded over its active period, spanning a total of 6,288 hours. On average, 3.5 new videos were published per hour.

International arrests and seizures

Operation Stream includes participation from 35 countries, including the USA, and was particularly intensive from March 10 to 23, 2025. A total of around 79 people were arrested worldwide, including 10 in Switzerland. There, too, the cantonal police from Aargau, Bern, Basel-Landschaft, Geneva, Thurgau, Vaud and Zurich carried out targeted measures that took place during the same period. In the operations carried out, not only were suspects arrested, but also over 3,000 electronic devices and more than 91,000 videos were seized.

Europol, supporter of this operation, analyzed numerous video files and transmitted valuable evidence to the affected countries. Those arrested are suspected of watching or downloading videos of child sexual abuse, while some are also suspected of active abuse. Most of the suspects are repeat offenders and are already known to law enforcement authorities.

Protective measures and ongoing investigations

Thanks to Europol's actions, 39 children in Austria have so far been protected from further exploitation. Sexual exploitation is now seen as a serious threat to security in the EU. EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner emphasizes the great value of organizations like Europol in combating cross-border crime.

The investigation is not yet complete as the perpetrators appear to have planned further criminal activities. Europol has confirmed that tackling such networks is essential to protect children worldwide. The dismantling of “Kidflix” represents a significant step forward in the fight against cybercrime, which is regularly increasing in importance. The international commitment of investigators from over 30 countries shows how serious the threat is assessed.

Overall, this operation highlights the enormous challenges and the need to decisively combat the sexual exploitation of children. Findings and measures from Operation Stream could lead to fundamental changes in the way we deal with such cybercrime.

You can find more details about the investigation in the reports from 5min, Spiegel and Luzerner Zeitung:

• 5min
• Spiegel
• Luzerner Zeitung