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Version 5 Version 6
Hunted paedophile suspect named Hunted paedophile suspect named
(about 1 hour later)
A suspected paedophile who appears in about 200 internet images abusing young boys has been identified by police. Interpol says it has identified a suspected paedophile who appears in 200 internet images abusing young boys.
Interpol officials in Thailand named him as Christopher Paul Neil, 32, an English teacher from Canada. Interpol did not publicly name him, but Thai police said the suspect was Christopher Paul Neil, 32, a Canadian who has been teaching English in Asia.
Interpol's European office issued an image of a suspect arriving in Thailand from South Korea last week. Police had appealed for public information after the suspect's digitally swirled image in internet photos was unscrambled by experts.
The abuse pictures, thought to have been taken in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2002 and 2003, were distorted - but experts managed to unscramble them. Interpol said the suspect was believed to be on the run in Thailand.
German computer specialists produced a clear image of a man's face, which sparked a global police hunt. Security cameras have shown him arriving at Bangkok airport last week.
The suspected child abuser was identified by five different sources from three continents as a man teaching English at a school in South Korea, Interpol said. He had flown in from South Korea, where he is thought to have been teaching.
"He is now internationally known," said Mick Moran, the Interpol officer leading the search for the suspect.
"Interpol's network is very large. I have no doubt that we will find him - maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely we will find him," he said.
Unprecedented appeal
The first pictures of the man were found three years ago in Germany. The pictures had been manipulated to disguise the man's face with a swirl pattern, but German computer specialists managed to produce identifiable images which were posted on Interpol's website a week ago.
After an appeal for information, the suspect was identified by five different sources from three continents as a man teaching English at a school in South Korea, Interpol said.Security cameras show the suspect at Bangkok airport last week
Police then established his name, nationality, date of birth, passport number and current and previous places of work.Police then established his name, nationality, date of birth, passport number and current and previous places of work.
Panaspong Sirawongse, Interpol chief in Thailand, named Mr Neil as a suspect. Panaspong Sirawongse, Interpol chief in Thailand, named the suspect as Christopher Paul Neil.
He told Reuters the Canadian had worked at an international school in Thailand between 2003 and 2004.He told Reuters the Canadian had worked at an international school in Thailand between 2003 and 2004.
'All other means' Photographs of the suspect published on the internet show him apparently abusing 12 boys in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Interpol officials in France released an image of a suspect, who they say flew from Seoul to Bangkok International Airport on 11 October. "Thai police are collecting evidence and information from neighbouring countries and other Interpol members to seek a court order for an arrest warrant," Thai police Colonel Apichart Suriboonya told the French news agency AFP.
Images of the suspect were originally scrambled"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," Interpol chief Ronald Noble said.
French officials have not yet confirmed that the image they have released of the suspect at Bangkok airport is that of Mr Neil.
Interpol launched its unprecedented global public appeal last week after trying "all other means" to identify the man.
The man seen apparently abusing 12 boys in a number of images was a danger to children while he remained at large, the police warned.
It said more than 350 people had responded to their appeal.
Interpol database
The first pictures of the man were found three years ago in Germany and the search for the suspect had been codenamed Operation Vico.
The pictures had been manipulated to disguise the man's face with a swirl pattern, but computer specialists at Germany's federal police agency, the BKA, worked with Interpol's human trafficking team to produce identifiable images.
Interpol maintains a database of 520,000 images of child sex abuse submitted by 36 member states.Interpol maintains a database of 520,000 images of child sex abuse submitted by 36 member states.
Using sophisticated software, investigators have identified and rescued nearly 600 victims from 31 countries.Using sophisticated software, investigators have identified and rescued nearly 600 victims from 31 countries.