Man in Germany accused of murder, child abuse tied to predatory online group

Washington Post

5 hours ago

BERLIN — German authorities arrested a man in Hamburg on Tuesday and accused him of orchestrating a campaign of online abuse that allegedly coerced a 13-year-old American boy into killing himself while on a live-stream video. Prosecutors said the man was a 'relevant member' of 764, a global online community that preyed viciously on children.
Hamburg public prosecutors said the 20-year-old man, whose name they did not disclose, is 'strongly suspected' of having committed more than 120 crimes between 2021 and 2023, 'particularly those directed against life, physical integrity, and sexual self-determination … to the detriment of a total of eight child or adolescent victims.'
He was arrested at his home in Hamburg, in northern Germany, based on a tip from the FBI, which has arrested senior members of 764 and said that the group meets the definition of a terrorist organization.
The group's name comes from the postal code of the teenager who created it in 2021. Assistant FBI Director David Scott, the head of the counterterrorism division, said in an interview with ABC last month that the FBI is conducting more than 250 investigations linked to the 764 network, with its 55 field offices nationwide each handling at least one related case.
German officials said the Hamburg man was a leading figure in 764, whose members regularly engaged in brutal abuse, including sexual exploitation of children. Investigators said that members of 764 systematically sought out mentally vulnerable children on social media platforms and online gaming sites before manipulating victims into severe self-harm and sexual acts during live video sessions.
'These are depths that are difficult to bear,' Hamburg Police Chief Ralf Schnabel said at a news conference Wednesday, adding that the alleged acts demonstrated an unimaginable level of brutality and inhumanity.
'The accused allegedly made recordings of these incidents and subsequently threatened the victims with publication unless they committed even more serious self-harm on camera,' prosecutors said in a statement.
In the case of the American teen, the accused man allegedly influenced the mentally unstable boy through another child victim — 'to such an extent that he hanged himself as instructed and streamed his 'suicide' live on the internet,' prosecutors said.
Investigators in the case have uncovered more than 120 hours of graphic images and video material, officials said Wednesday.
A single 75-minute abusive chat session took investigators 17 days to analyze, prosecutor Jörg Fröhlich told reporters, noting that psychological counseling was provided to those reviewing the evidence.
The suspect, who was identified as holding German and Iranian nationality, will remain in custody as the investigation continues, officials said.