An Interpol handout picture of the suspected paedophile. (Reuters)

Paris, Oct. 8 (AP): In a first, Interpol appealed today for public help to identify a suspected paedophile shown in photos posted on the Internet sexually abusing young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia.

German specialists have produced identifiable images of the man from the original pictures, in which his face had been digitally blurred, the international police organisation said. But the man’s identity and nationality remain unknown, prompting Interpol’s worldwide appeal.

“For years, images of this man sexually abusing children have been circulating on the Internet. We have tried all other means to identify and to bring him to justice, but we are now convinced that without the public’s help this sexual predator could continue to rape and sexually abuse young children, whose ages appear to range from 6 to early teens,” Interpol’s secretary general, Ronald K. Noble, said.

“We have very good reason to believe that he travels the world in order to sexually abuse and exploit vulnerable children,” Noble said.

Interpol, which is headquartered in Lyon, southeast France, posted four reconstructed photos of the man on its website, along with an original image where his face was a totally blurred whirl.

The reconstructed photos showed a white man who looked to be in his 30s, with uncombed short brown hair. One photo showed him wearing glasses. Anders Persson, a Swedish police officer seconded to Interpol’s human trafficking unit, said releasing the photos sent “a quite clear message” to criminals that they can be identified through web postings.