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Dutch police arrest man in connection with Amanda Todd case: reports

Dutch police arrest man in connection with Amanda Todd case: reports

We'll soon know the implications in Canada of the arrest in the Netherlands of a man allegedly connected to the online extortion of Amanda Todd, which eventually led to the Vancouver-area teen's suicide in 2012.

Dutch authorities confirmed to the Globe and Mail they're holding a 35-year-old man who was arrested in January on several charges arising from an investigation into online sex.

The National Public Prosecutor's Office, confirming Dutch news reports, said the unidentified man is being held in pre-trial detention on charges of indecent assault, producing and distributing child pornography, fraud, computer intrusion and possession of hard drugs.

Spokesman Paul van der Zanden would not confirm the charges related to the Todd case, the Globe said, but Dutch media verified the connection with the accused's lawyer.

Van der Zanden told the Globe U.S and British law enforcement agencies were closely involved in the investigation.

“What co-operation we’ve had from Canada I can’t say at this time,” he said, adding it's too early to speculate on possible extradition proceedings.

Extradition would depend on whether Canadian authorities have enough evidence to lay their own charges, and whether those charges would be considered crimes in the Netherlands, a key requirement in any extradition proceeding.

[ Related: Amanda Todd suicide: RCMP repeatedly told of blackmailer's attempts ]

Canada would also have to wait for the Dutch justice system to finish dealing with the accused (including any prison term) before authorities here could get their hands on him. Given the scope of the investigation, which includes the U.S. and U.K., the Canadians might have to take a number.

The prosecutor's office said in its news release the man is suspected of approaching underage girls on the Internet and seducing them into performing sexual acts in front of a webcam.

"He is suspected of subsequently pressurizing them to participate in making new material," the release said. "The investigation has not revealed any indications that the suspect abused his victims physically.

"It has not yet been ascertained how many girls the suspect approached. The investigation is well underway and is focusing on identifying victims, who are then informed about the investigation and offered victim support."

The man also allegedly lured adult men outside of the Netherlands into performing sex acts in front of the web cam on the assumption they were chatting with an underage boy, Dutch authorities said. He then blackmailed them by threatening to hand over the images to police.

The Dutch newspaper BNDeStem reported the man's lawyer, Christian van Dijk, said the accused has no wife or children and that the evidence against his client is "paper thin." Police seized a computer and router from the man's home, van Dijk said, but suggested the man's system could have been compromised by someone outside.

RCMP in British Columbia issued a news release Thursday afternoon announcing a news conference later Thursday to update the public on the Todd investigation.

"This complex investigation has national and international connections," spokesman Sgt. Rob Vermeulen said in the release.

"Due to the sensitivity and complexity of this investigation, no further details will be released and no interviews will be granted prior to the news conference."

Amanda Todd killed herself after enduring some two years of online bullying and ostracism from her peers after an image of her flashing her breasts on a webcam ended up on social media.

Todd, who lived in Port Coquitlam, B.C., was apparently lured into the act by an unknown person in an online chat room who then threatened to circulate the topless photo unless she gave more of a show.

The image turned up on social media anyway, sending Todd's life into an emotional spiral.

A few weeks before she died, Todd uploaded a black-and-white video to YouTube telling her story, including a previous suicide attempt.

[ Related: Internet ‘trolls’ use cloak of anonymity to torment Amanda Todd in death ]

The video went viral after her death and has been viewed more than nine million times at its original location.

The video spurred a worldwide discussion on cyber-bullying and the risks of being too trusting with strangers you meet on the web.

Amanda's mother, Carole Todd, told CBC News she was in shock at the development. She said RCMP told her there was an overseas development in the case two months ago but did not want to comment further until she'd spoken to the Mounties.

She told the Globe she hoped the investigation would not stop with this one arrest, believing others were involved in the events that led to her daughter's death.

“I don’t want everyone to get so hyped up that this is it, that this is the end," she said. "I don’t think in my heart that this is the end. It’s the start of it.

"There’s more than one person in those chat rooms. There are more people responsible for extorting [Amanda]."