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A sweeping joint takedown between the FBI and Texas authorities in recent months netted more than 276 arrests for suspected child exploitation and the rescue of 89 children, authorities said Friday.
The figures were a result of Operation Soteria Shield, part of the agency’s national effort, Operation Iron Pursuit. The initiative targeted individuals involved in the online sexual exploitation, abuse, trafficking, and production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in North Texas, the FBI said.
“Every single day this FBI is moving more aggressively than ever before to destroy child predator networks and save innocent victims all over the country, and today’s brilliant numbers out of FBI Dallas and partners are the latest milestone in that righteous mission,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital
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FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday applauded the arrests and rescue of exploited children in Texas during Operation Soteria Shield. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The operation, which was conducted across March and April, aimed to find offenders who exploit children through online platforms, social media, messaging applications, and other digital applications.
“Protecting children from those who seek to exploit them is among the most important work we do in law enforcement,” said Dallas Police Department Chief Daniel Comeaux.
MORE THAN 300 ARRESTED IN SPRAWLING CALIFORNIA CRACKDOWN ON CHILD EXPLOITATION CRIMES
FBI Director Kash Patel. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Soteria Shield involved 91 law enforcement agencies across Texas, the FBI said.
“These are young lives saved, families reunited, and future crimes prevented by brave law enforcement doing their jobs. I’m proud of our teams for their execution and let this be a message to any criminal who may try similar heinous actions – this FBI has located more than 6,940 child victims since last year – up 144% – and arrested almost 3,000 child predators over the same time period, up 70%. This pace of justice we’re on will not slow down,” Patel said.
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Earlier this month, the FBI announced the arrests of more than 350 child sexual abuse offenders as part of Operation Iron Pursuit, a sprawling nationwide initiative conducted in April in an effort to find child victims of sex abuse and arrest child sex predators.