A 45-year-old man is set to answer 15 charges in early March over possession and production of child pornography, with some material involving his own underage daughter.
Limassol Criminal Court adjourned proceedings on Wednesday, with the defendant remaining free under restrictive conditions.
The man faces charges of possession, acquisition, production and distribution of child pornography. Authorities found approximately 700 image files and over 10 video files in his possession, with some files involving his underage daughter, according to Philenews information.
The case emerged last summer when a detective serving at a US state police station was assigned to an undercover investigation into crimes against children.
A conversation on a specific app revealed the man’s secret, leading to his arrest by Cyprus Police in November initially for child sexual abuse offences and possession of child pornography.
Using a pseudonym, the undercover officer convinced the defendant she was the mother of two minors, Philenews previously reported. He then began revealing his actions against his underage daughter.
Following these revelations, authorities began investigating the case and took steps to identify the 45-year-old and analyse his data.
Beyond information from the US, police received an alert from Europol after conversations with other people beyond the undercover officer were detected.
Email and device examinations identified the 45-year-old foreigner as the owner. Further investigations led to his residence, where Electronic Crime Unit officers arrested him.
A search of his home uncovered mobile phones and laptops, which were forensically examined. Evidence includes photographs of his underage daughter.