In a shocking revelation that places Malta at the centre of an unprecedented international investigation, two Maltese nationals have been arrested as part of Operation Stream—Europol’s largest-ever operation targeting online child sexual exploitation.

The global sweep saw over 1,393 suspects identified and 79 arrested so far, including two individuals in Malta, accused of involvement in Kidflix—one of the most disturbing and prolific platforms for paedophilic content ever uncovered.

The Malta Police Force, working in close coordination with Europol, arrested the two Maltese men on 10 March 2025, following intelligence received the previous month. The suspects, aged 27 and 26, were allegedly involved in uploading and purchasing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Kidflix, a now-defunct dark web streaming platform that had amassed 1.8 million users worldwide since 2022.

Authorities seized multiple electronic devices from the suspects, along with disturbing material relating to the sexual exploitation of minors. One of the men has already appeared in court and pleaded guilty, while the other is expected to be charged in the coming days.

The Kidflix platform was considered the largest online hub for CSAM streaming globally. Unlike most similar platforms, Kidflix allowed users not only to download but also to stream high-quality abuse videos. Users could earn and spend tokens—paid via cryptocurrency—to view or contribute content, with over 91,000 unique videos uploaded during its operation.

When the platform was dismantled in March 2025, German and Dutch authorities seized its server, which at the time stored around 72,000 videos. Investigators revealed that new material was being uploaded at a horrifying rate of one new video every 17 minutes.

More than 35 countries collaborated in Operation Stream, which also led to the protection of 39 children worldwide and the seizure of over 3,000 electronic devices.

With cybercrime on the rise, Operation Stream has been described as Europol’s most significant case in combating online child sexual abuse. Europol’s analysts, through the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), provided vital support to national authorities, examining thousands of abuse videos and sharing intelligence across borders.

According to Europol, most suspects identified were repeat offenders, some even accused of personally abusing children on camera before distributing the material online.

#MaltaDaily