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FBI captures Bangladeshi fugitive extradited in massive online child sextortion case
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A Bangladeshi national extradited from Malaysia this week is accused of carrying out one of the most prolific online child exploitation schemes the United States has ever seen in a wide-ranging alleged sextortion operation.
Prosecutors allege Zobaidul Amin posed as a teenager on Instagram and Snapchat and coerced hundreds of minor victims — some as young as 11 — into producing sexually explicit images and videos. Authorities said he then threatened to share those images with friends, family and classmates unless the victims sent more.
Many of his victims were located in Alaska, while others were targeted across the United States and abroad, the Department of Justice said.
Zobaidul Amin is accused of coercing hundreds of minor victims — some as young as 11 — into producing sexually explicit images and videos in what prosecutors described as one of the most prolific online child exploitation schemes alleged in U.S. history. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors further allege Amin demanded specific numbers of sexually explicit photos and videos each day, continued threatening victims for months even after his accounts were deleted, worked with others to store and distribute the material online and used multiple fake accounts to evade social media platform bans.
“This FBI is back to doing what it does best, locking up predators, dismantling violent gangs and holding criminals accountable no matter who they are,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“In just 24 hours, our agents captured a fugitive accused of running an international child exploitation ring, took down the 18th Street Gang in Los Angeles and arrested a contractor who allegedly stole more than $46 million from the U.S. Marshals Service. Criminals everywhere should understand the message: This FBI is coming for you.”
Amin appeared in federal court Thursday in Alaska, a day after arriving in the United States. He pleaded not guilty during his initial appearance in Anchorage, according to Bloomberg.
Amin faces 13 federal counts, including conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, child exploitation enterprise, production of child pornography, cyberstalking, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
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FBI agents escort Zobaidul Amin after his transfer from Malaysia to the United States to face charges in an alleged international sextortion and child exploitation scheme. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors said Amin used more than 80 Snapchat accounts and 40 Instagram accounts to evade bans.
Court documents say he and co-conspirators organized images in Dropbox folders by victim and shared links to extort more material. The indictment also alleges he placed at least one victim in fear of serious bodily harm and used false pretenses to obtain explicit images, forming the basis for cyberstalking and wire fraud charges.
Prior to the U.S. charges, Amin was living in and attending medical school in Malaysia.
In September 2022, he was charged by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia with 13 counts related to the possession and production of child pornography. The FBI and the Justice Department worked in coordination with Malaysian authorities, and Amin was transferred from Malaysia to Alaska March 4.
FBI agents stand on the tarmac as a plane arrives carrying Zobaidul Amin after his extradition from Malaysia to face federal charges in Alaska. (Department of Justice)
“The impact of this case is that of international magnitude. It stands as one of the most prolific cases of alleged online child exploitation the United States has ever seen,” said Michael Heyman, U.S. attorney for the District of Alaska.
“We are grateful for the steady, strong collaboration among the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, law enforcement agencies and Malaysian partners that made this transfer possible, enabling us to move forward and seek justice for victims.”
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon ordered Amin held without bail as the case moves forward. Amin waived his right to a speedy trial and requested a jury trial.
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HONOLULU — The latest lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaii volcano reached 1,000 feet high Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash.
Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.
The fountaining that began Tuesday morning marked the eruption’s 43rd episode since it began in December 2024. A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. It’s unclear how long the fountaining will last. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours.
Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings.
But the lava fountains were creating trouble for neighboring communities and a highway where the volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, was falling. The tephra prompted temporary closures at the national park around the summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.
Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson.
The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning.
Volcanic tephra can irritate eyes, skin and the respiratory system, according to county officials. Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, officials said.
Ash fell so heavily during a previous fountaining episode that some communities needed help from county civil defense workers to clean up ash that coated their homes, Callis said.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Smith’s employees are packing 5,000 meal kits for Clark County students through a partnership with Move for Hunger and Communities in Schools of Southern Nevada.
The event took place on March 10 at Decker Elementary School.
About 270 leaders from across seven states are also participating in building the kits. The donation is valued at approximately $50,000.
Feed The Need: Helping Southern Nevadans fight food insecurity
In the past year, Smith’s and its customers provided more than 16 million meals to nonprofit hunger-relief organizations throughout Nevada through donations.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
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