Although domestic police, prosecutors and courts must operate within the confines of their territorial jurisdiction, criminal behaviour knows no borders. As such, states have developed legal tools to deal with cases in which one or more elements of a crime – such as location, the accused, evidence or proceeds – are located in another country. The tools for recognizing and enforcing international aspects of national criminal law include the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction and various mechanisms for interstate cooperation in criminal matters, such as extradition, mutual legal assistance, seizure (including the forfeiture of criminal proceeds) and most recently, direct access to electronic data.
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