An international investigation, code-named Carole, has identified 50 suspects in Ireland as part of an international investigation into abusive images of children.

Led by a specialist police group in Austria, the operation (code-named Carole) uncovered 2,360 suspects in at least 77 countries. These suspects had accessed a pay-per-view website containing imagery of under 14-year-olds being abused.

According to the Irish Examiner, an Irish police spokesperson has confirmed that these 50 suspects have been traced as part of the international investigation. Searches have been carried out across the country.

The spokesperson said, “Fifty people have been identified in Ireland as having accessed this website. These people are spread throughout the country."

“A number of searches have been carried out and these investigations are ongoing. For this reason we are not in a position to comment further on this matter."

The desktops, laptops, hard drives, and discs seized in the searches are being examined by the police in Ireland.

The investigation began when a Vienna-based internet file hosting company approached the Austrian authorities when they found child pornography during a material check.

When the investigation was set up the police recorded 8,000 hits, from 2,361 computer addresses, in 77 countries.