A British journalist’s research on the dark web has led to the arrest of an Australian woman over an alleged plot to murder her parent.
The 26-year-old suspect from Canberra agreed to pay $20,000 (£11,000) to a hitman recruited to carry out of the killings and had already handed over $6,000 (£3,000) of the money, Australian Capital Territory police said.
She was arrested after detectives were tipped off in October by a British journalist who uncovered the plot while working on an investigative series for the BBC.
Police raided an address in the Canberra suburb of Fadden on 7 December and seized commputer equipment linked to the investigation.
The dark web hitman, however, turned out to be fraud, said the police.
The woman is accused of plotting the murder of her parents, both prominent businesspeople, for financial gain.
She has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, inciting murder and charges of burglary and theft.
Acting sergeant Beth McMullen said police acted quickly to ensure the safety of the parents and obtain details of the internet activity of the daughter and bank records.
She called the probe an “unusual matter”, though noted that there has been a rise in online crime linked to the dark web.
“We believe that the woman sought out the website herself and she made arrangements on that site, contacting somebody over the dark web, and making the payment,” Ms McMullen added.
“This was a complex investigation due to the report originating overseas, and being able to track and verify the dark web payment."
The suspect’s parents were “shocked” to learn of the plot and cooperating with the investigation, police added.
