Criminals tricked into using FBI-run message app

Hundreds of criminals were arrested in several countries and drugs and assets seized after criminal gangs were tricked into using a messaging app that was being secretly run by the FBI as part of a worldwide sting.

The operation called Trojan Shield was led by the FBI and involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in more than a dozen countries.

Police said criminal gangs thought the encrypted app called ANOM was safe from snooping when, in fact, authorities for months had been monitoring millions of messages about drug smuggling, money laundering and even planned killings.