An undercover agent pretended to be a 13-year-old in order to locate pedophiles throughout the network. Within a short period, the agent began receiving inquiries from dozens of men who later committed sexual offenses including indecent acts and attempted rape.
During the arrest of one of the suspects in Jerusalem, a riot broke out in which rioters threw stones and objects at police. Detectives discovered that the suspect was operating a kindergarten in his home.
The suspects were transferred for questioning by police and will be brought to court where police will request an extension of their arrest.
"This is a special operation that, in addition to its contribution to eradicating sex crimes, is of paramount social importance. R. was activated for five months during which [time] she managed to indict 16 suspects for sexual offenses," said Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai."Whoever exploits the innocence of children and causes incurable scars, will end up being arrested and prosecuted – and therefore we will continue to invest the most resources and minds [possible] to eradicate the phenomenon that unfortunately is expanding."
Police urged parents to be involved in their children's cyberspace activity, including checking who they're talking to and ensuring they understand the dangers that exist on The internet and how to avoid them.