Interpol tracks paedophile
2007-10-15 20:04
London - A unique public appeal by
Interpol in the hunt for a serial paedophile has identified a
suspect who is now believed to be on the run in Thailand, the
world police organisation said on Monday.
Interpol did not reveal the name or nationality of the man,
codenamed "Vico", but said he had been working as a teacher of
English at a school in South Korea.
He fled to Thailand last week, three days after Interpol
published photographs of him on its website and issued a
worldwide public appeal to identify him.
Security cameras captured his image at Thai immigration when
he flew into Bangkok airport from Seoul last Thursday.
Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said in a statement:
"Thailand is at the centre of an international manhunt and
authorities in the country, in co-operation with Interpol and
police around the world, are hunting him down."
'Remarkable' response
He praised the "remarkable" response to the appeal and
added: "We must once again enlist the public's support, this
time to pinpoint Vico's current location."
Investigators have been trying for three years to track down
the suspect after German police discovered the first of about 200
photographs on the internet in which he was shown abusing 12
young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia.
His face was disguised with a swirly digital pattern, but
experts at Germany's BKA federal crime office managed to
unscramble it.
The cleaned-up images were posted on Interpol's
website www.interpol.int a week ago.
Interpol said more than 350 people responded to the appeal.
The identification of the suspect came as a result of
information provided by five sources on three different
continents.
Interpol said it was the first time it had made such a
worldwide appeal, direct to the public.
Normally it is up to
police forces in individual member countries to make appeals.