Australian police infiltrate encrypted messaging app Ghost and arrest dozens

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian police say they have infiltrated Ghost, an encrypted global communications app developed for criminals, leading to dozens of arrests. The app’s alleged administrator, Jay Je Yoon Jung, appeared in a Sydney court on Wednesday on charges including supporting a criminal organization and benefiting from proceeds of crime. Australian police have arrested 38 suspects in raids across four states in recent days while law enforcement agencies were also making arrests in Canada, Sweden, Ireland and Italy. Australian police say they have prevented 50 people from being killed, kidnapped or seriously hurt by monitoring threats among 125,000 messages and 120 video calls since March. Australia joined a Europol-led global taskforce targeting Ghost in 2022.