International police have succeeded in cracking the encrypted platform Ghost, which is used by organized crime.
Last night they arrested the mastermind behind the service, a 32-year-old from Australia.
Several Swedes have also been arrested and on Wednesday Europol is holding a press conference.
Pictures show how the 32-year-old is arrested by police at his home in Sydney. He is suspected of having created the encrypted messaging app Ghost, which is used by serious criminals worldwide.
IN The Sydney Morning Herald the man is described as a karaoke-loving “geek”. He still lives at home with your parents and drives a Mercedes-Benz worth around two million kroner.
The man is suspected of having administered the service, which was marketed as “impossible to hack”, from his parents’ home.
Swedes arrested
During Tuesday and Wednesday, nearly 50 criminals from Australia, Italy, Ireland, Canada – and Sweden were arrested. Further arrests are expected, worldwide.
Nine countries, including Sweden, have been involved in the effort, which has gone by the name “Operation Kraken”.
Ghost was created nine years ago and requires modified mobile phones to be used. The service has the most users in Australia, around 400. But since the demise of Encrochat and Sky in 2020, Ghost has appeared increasingly frequently among the Swedish gangs’ mobile phones.
At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Europol has called a press conference on the occasion of the international operation. The Swedish participation will also be reported there.