Sixteen suspected pedophiles were arrested by law enforcement this week following an undercover operation, the Israel Police announced Monday, adding that sexual assault charges have already been filed against two of them.
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Agent R. had been working undercover for several months, gathering evidence on the suspects, ranging in age from 20 to 60. The suspects were arrested by officers from the Jerusalem District and are being held in custody.
R. worked to lure the pedophiles online by pretending to be a 13-year-old girl. Within a short time, she was contacted by several suspects, who later began committing sexual offenses.
During the arrest of one of the suspects in Jerusalem, police officers were stoned by a crowd that gathered outside the suspect's house. In addition, it found that a kindergarten was being illegally operated from his home.
After the suspects were in custody, the police held a special ceremony in which agent R. was presented with a special citation by Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai and Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman.
Shabtai praised the agent's work, which is "of paramount importance," and said the police would "arrest and prosecute anyone who exploits the innocence of a child… We will continue to invest our resources and smarts into eradicating the phenomenon that has, unfortunately, been on the rise."
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