French police detain 90 in child porn sting

A French police official says 90 people have been detained in a nationwide sweep of suspected consumers of online child pornography.

The official says Tuesday's operation stemmed from the 2004 arrest of an 18-year-old man who was running a child pornography ring. The man, from the northern city of Clermont, traded pornographic photos and videos of children as young as babies. He has since been incarcerated.

The official said those detained Tuesday had connected to the man's server and downloaded images and videos, and were of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds.

The police official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.