AN ITALIAN prosecutor has reportedly issued charges against almost 1,500 Italians and foreign nationals for offering or downloading child pornography via the web.

The charges follow a swoop on 600 homes in Italy a month ago in which eight people were initially arrested on charges of possessing and trading child pornography, all of it from Russia.

A weekend Reuters report called the case potentially one of the largest in Italian history and said prosecutor Alfredo Ormanni ordered 831 Italians to stand trial and called for 660 foreigners to be "tracked down and sent to Italy to answer the charges".

The foreign indictments are believed to involve people in Russia, France and Malaysia.

The report said a huge number of people were trapped in a complex sting operation involving a fake paedophile website set up by Italian authorities in co-operation with Microsoft Corp, called "amantideibambini" (loversofchildren), which registered 1,032 subscribers despite a number of clear warnings about its content.

Of those charged, a number are accused of offering online pornographic material, and the majority face charges of downloading child pornography.

Italian police reportedly said the Russian ring kidnapped children from orphanages, circuses and public parks and filmed them while they were forced to engage in sexual acts.

A report by United Press International (UPI) stated that foreigners participating in the downloads also include residents of Britain, the US and Switzerland, and that video cassettes which could be ordered online include scenes of rape, torture and even murder.

The report also added the FBI assisted Italian authorities in the sting operation and that an arrest warrant has been issued for a Moscow man thought to be the ringleader.