Four AFP releases published on 5 and 6 November 2026 report phone examinations, additional charges and two online threat cases.
An airport phone examination and an alleged AI offence
In a joint AFP and Australian Border Force release published on 5 November, authorities reported that an investigation began when ABF officers identified suspected child abuse files on a phone at Brisbane International Airport on 4 February 2026.
The AFP said a comprehensive forensic examination identified thousands of alleged child abuse material files. Police allege AI was used to manipulate images of children taken from social media accounts, including images of at least three children in Australia.
Investigators searched an Arundel home on 4 November and seized two mobile phones for further forensic examination. The 41-year-old Gold Coast man was charged with one count of making child exploitation material. The release said he was expected to face Southport Magistrate's Court on 5 November.
Further charges after examination of seized devices
A second joint AFP and ABF release, published on 6 November, describes another investigation that began with a mobile phone examination at Brisbane International Airport, this time on 28 May.
AFP officers reviewed and seized two electronic devices and initially charged the man with one possession offence. Following an AFP request for assistance, police in Papua New Guinea searched a home on 11 June and located a concealed camera. Investigators allege the camera sent recordings of children to a mobile device.
The November release said 17 additional charges would be laid at that day's court appearance, taking the reported total to 18. It listed nine making offences, four producing offences outside Australia and four accessing offences following examination of seized devices.
Online threats: a sentence and a separate charge
The AFP's 5 November report of a social media threat case records a completed sentencing event. A 63-year-old Central Coast man received a two-year good behaviour order and a $1000 fine in Wyong Local Court on 4 November after pleading guilty.
The AFP said its investigation concerned a social media threat directed at a government advisor. The man had been charged in August with using a telecommunications service to menace, harass or cause offence.
The 6 November Gold Coast threats release concerns an allegation still before the courts. Police said a government-funded service provider reported an incoming phone call allegedly threatening a federal parliamentarian. A search warrant was executed at a Robina home on 5 November.
The 56-year-old man was charged with using a carriage service to make a threat and granted conditional bail to appear on 18 January 2027. The AFP release does not describe a conviction or disclose how any call evidence was examined.