A 40-year-old man from Amsterdam appeared in court on Friday in connection with a massive internet-based sexual abuse case, in which up to 400 children may have been the victims.

Police had kept quiet about the case, but the silence was broken when one judge at Friday’s pro-forma hearing pressed for more details about the number of children involved, Nos television said.

Officials then revealed the man, named as Michel S, may have abused up to 400 youngsters. So far 56 victims have been identified. Most of them are boys aged 12 to 14 and five have now made formal complaints.

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S posed as a teenage girl to persuade the youngsters to carry out sex acts on themselves in front of a webcam. His victims come from all over the country as well as Belgium, Spain and the US. None have had sexual contact with S, who was arrested in July 2013.

The court on Friday remanded him in custody and the investigation is continuing, Nos television said.

Last October police arrested another man named as Frank R who also posed as a teenage girl to groom other girls. His victims, said to number around 300 by the public prosecution department, were aged between 10 and 17.

At least 11 are said to have had a meeting with the man and were sexually abused by him. Police found some 26,000 videos and 144,000 photographs during a raid on his house, the department said in a statement.