Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, a U.S. citizen living in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, 20, of North Carolina, have been arrested and charged with running an international child exploitation network known as “764,” described by authorities as a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) group. Varagiannis was arrested in Greece on April 29; Nepal was arrested a week earlier in North Carolina. Both are awaiting court hearings in Washington, D.C.
According to a federal affidavit, 764 is a global network of violent extremists who promote the collapse of modern society through exploitation and abuse, often targeting minors. Varagiannis and Nepal allegedly led a core faction of the group, called “764 Inferno,” using encrypted apps to coordinate the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
They are accused of grooming and extorting minors, ordering acts of self-harm, and orchestrating psychological and physical abuse—including coercing young girls to carve symbols into their skin.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/lead ... enterprise
child exploitation network known as “764
Re: child exploitation network known as “764
FBI Director Kash Patel shared this 'deeply disturbing' article. stating: Those who come after America's children will face justice. We will be relentless in pursuing them:"
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FBI officials say they are growing increasingly concerned about a loose network of violent predators who befriend teenagers through popular online platforms and then coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior -- pushing victims to create graphic pornography, harm family pets, cut themselves with sharp objects, or even die by suicide.
The online predators, part of the network known as "764," demand victims send them photos and videos of it all, so the shocking content can be shared with fellow 764 followers or used to extort victims for more. Some of the predators even host "watch parties" for others to watch them torment victims live online, according to authorities.
"We see a lot of bad things, but this is one of the most disturbing things we're seeing," said FBI Assistant Director David Scott, the head of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, which is now leading many of the U.S. government's investigations tied to 764.
The FBI has more than 250 such investigations currently underway, with every single one of its 55 field offices across the country handling a 764-related case, Scott told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
He said the FBI has seen some victims as young as nine, and federal authorities have indicated there could be thousands of victims around the world.
Last year, in classic New England town of Vernon, Connecticut, local police arrested the girl -- a former honor roll student -- for conspiring with a 764 devotee overseas to direct bomb threats at her own community. When police searched her devices, they found pornographic photos of her, photos depicting self-mutilation, and photos of her paying homage to 764.
As Scott described it, one of the main goals of 764 and similar networks is to "sow chaos" and "bring down society."
That's why the FBI's Counterterrorism Division and the Justice Department's National Security Division are now looking at 764 and its offshoots as a potential form of domestic terrorism, even coining a new term to characterize the most heinous actors: "nihilistic violent extremists."
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FBI officials say they are growing increasingly concerned about a loose network of violent predators who befriend teenagers through popular online platforms and then coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior -- pushing victims to create graphic pornography, harm family pets, cut themselves with sharp objects, or even die by suicide.
The online predators, part of the network known as "764," demand victims send them photos and videos of it all, so the shocking content can be shared with fellow 764 followers or used to extort victims for more. Some of the predators even host "watch parties" for others to watch them torment victims live online, according to authorities.
"We see a lot of bad things, but this is one of the most disturbing things we're seeing," said FBI Assistant Director David Scott, the head of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, which is now leading many of the U.S. government's investigations tied to 764.
The FBI has more than 250 such investigations currently underway, with every single one of its 55 field offices across the country handling a 764-related case, Scott told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
He said the FBI has seen some victims as young as nine, and federal authorities have indicated there could be thousands of victims around the world.
Last year, in classic New England town of Vernon, Connecticut, local police arrested the girl -- a former honor roll student -- for conspiring with a 764 devotee overseas to direct bomb threats at her own community. When police searched her devices, they found pornographic photos of her, photos depicting self-mutilation, and photos of her paying homage to 764.
As Scott described it, one of the main goals of 764 and similar networks is to "sow chaos" and "bring down society."
That's why the FBI's Counterterrorism Division and the Justice Department's National Security Division are now looking at 764 and its offshoots as a potential form of domestic terrorism, even coining a new term to characterize the most heinous actors: "nihilistic violent extremists."