New Mexico solar observatory closed due to child pornography



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The installation was closed on September 6th because of an unspecified "security problem". This has led some people to speculate on the Internet about aliens or UFOs. The observatory is near Roswell, where a mysterious object crashed in 1947.

But, according to an FBI request for a search warrant obtained by CNN's affiliate, KOAT, a facility janitor is suspected of using the Sunspot Solar Observatory WiFi to download and share child pornography.
This week, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), which runs the observatory at Sacramento Peak, said it was cooperating with a police investigation into criminal activity.
AURA did not respond to CNN's request for comments early Thursday. But in its Sunday press release, the facility reopened and employees would return to work.

L & # 39; investigation

The investigation began in late July, when a New Mexico Child Abuse Crime Task Force officer traced a series of IP addresses related to child pornography to the US. Observatory, according to court documents.

On August 21, the Chief Observer told the federal authorities that he had repeatedly found a "plugged and working" laptop in empty or underused offices, according to documents. He described the contents of the laptop as "not good" and that day, FBI agents grabbed him.

The next day, the chief observer would have seen the concierge leave the office where the laptop had been taken by the FBI. The concierge asked if anyone was inside and told the observer that he was concerned about the "lax security" of the facility.

The janitor would have continued to search the observatory feverishly and express his safety concerns, saying it was only a matter of time before the facility was touched. "He also said that a serial killer could murder someone at the observatory, according to documents.

The authorities finally obtained a warrant to search the caretaker's house.

While the janitor was named in court documents obtained by KOAT, Reuters reported Wednesday that he had not been charged. CNN does not identify it.

Deanna Hackney, Emanuella Grinberg and Andrea Diaz from CNN contributed to this report.

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