INVESTIGATORS probing Belgium's child sex ring made 23 new arrests, including II police officers, and raided the main police station in the southern city of Charleroi, judicial sources said yesterday.
The swoop was ordered by magistrates investigating the murder of Bernard Weinstein, an alleged accomplice of Mr Marc Dutroux, the convicted child rapist who is suspected of masterminding the paedophile network with the aid of police protection.
The police officers arrested included eight based at Charleroi police station and three gendarmes, from the same region.
The other people arrested were either relatives or associates of Insp Georges Zicot, the Charleroi police officer accused of being a key Dutroux accomplice.
As well as their raid on Charleroi police station, magistrates carried out searches at 14 other sites in their search for evidence that could help determine the fate of up to 10 missing children feared to have been victims of the ring.
The new arrests appeared to strengthen allegations from the parents of Mr Dutroux's victims that he was only able to get away with his alleged kid napping, abuse and murder of children because he enjoyed protection from the local authorities.
As well as Weinstein's murder, Mr Dutroux has been charged with the abduction of six girls. Weinstein's body was found on August 17th, close to the bodies of Julie Lefeune and Melissa Russo, two eight year old girls who starved to death in a cell at Mr Dutroux's main residence.
Two teenage girls were found dead at another of Mr Dutroux's homes, while a further two were discovered alive in a cellar. Mr Dutroux has confessed to kidnapping all six.
Before yesterday's arrests, a total of 10 people were in custody on charges relating to the Dutroux investigation. The others have been detained in connection with a car theft insurance racket in which Insp Zicot is accused of playing a major role.