Canberra, June 8
US and Australian agencies hacked into an app used by criminals and read millions of encrypted messages, leading to hundreds of arrests of suspected organised crime figures in 18 countries, Australian officials said on Tuesday.
US-Oz joint operation
- US, Australian agencies hacked into messaging app An0m
- They read millions of encrypted messages of criminals operating around the world
- Hundreds of suspected organised crime figures were held in 18 countries
224 held in Australia
- 224 persons, including members of outlawed motorcycle gangs, have been arrested in Australia
- 35 persons have been detained in New Zealand
The operation by the Australian police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ensnared suspects in Australia, Asia, South America and the Middle East involved in the global narcotics trade, the officials said.
Named Operation Trojan Shield by the FBI, it was one of the biggest infiltrations and takeovers of a specialised encrypted network.
Australian PM Scott Morrison said the operation “struck a heavy blow against organised crime – not just in this country, but one that will echo ... around the world”.
“This is a watershed moment in Australian law enforcement history,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney.
The operation, which was conceived by the Australian police and the FBI in 2018, saw officials in the US take control of the An0m messaging app used by organised crime networks.
When an Australian underworld figure began distributing customised phones containing the app to his associates as a secure means to communicate, the police could monitor their messages. The gangs believed the system was secure because the phones did not have voice or camera functions, and the app was encrypted. “We have been in the back pockets of organised crime,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said, adding, “All they talk about is drugs and violence.” — Reuters