In late 2024, in a quiet suburb of Stockholm, a 14-year-old boy approached a man in his 80s who was using a walker. He stabbed the man three times in the back.<\/p>\n
The video of the attack in H\u00e4sselby was streamed and spread quickly. It fed a global online ecosystem that actively encourages and glorifies acts of violence and degradation \u2013 the \u201cgamification of harm\u201d, as the researcher Marc-Andr\u00e9 Argentino puts it.<\/p>\n
The boy allegedly had links<\/a> to a network known as 764<\/a>. Such groups are known to target young people in games including Roblox and Minecraft as well as communities struggling with mental health or sexual identity for online extortion, pressuring them into acts of violence and self-harm.<\/p>\n The 764 network, founded by a Texas teenager, Bradley Cadenhead, is just one part of an evolving online ecosystem, with perpetrators and victims in dozens of countries. Cadenhead is now serving an 80-year sentence in the US for possessing child sexual abuse material.<\/p>\n Bradley Cadenhead \u2013 now serving an 80-year prison term in the US \u2013 was 15 when he started the 764 network. Photograph: Texas Department of Criminal Justice<\/p>\n There are several cases currently before courts around the world with alleged links to such groups. Legal records from numerous countries suggest they often celebrate violence, manipulation and harm for its own sake, collecting records of such acts to gain notoriety and control.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are young people recruiting other young people,\u201d says Bj\u00f8rn Ihler, the founder of the security firm Revontulet. \u201cIt is a youth phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, has said<\/a>: \u201cA worrying trend is how victims are becoming perpetrators to try to escape their online bullies who have befriended and groomed them, and then forced them to hurt themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n A Swedish court decided in April 2025 that the teenager had carried out the stabbing although he was too young to be held criminally responsible. But another name emerged during the investigation, local authorities told the Guardian \u2013 an online username: \u201cChai.\u201d<\/p>\n In early 2025, as the country was still reeling from the attack, an Australian girl rang Swedish police. She wanted to tell authorities about Chai.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s bigger than these few cases\u2019<\/p>\n Linus Svensson, an investigative reporter at the Swedish broadcaster SVT, had never heard of 764 before the 2024 stabbing.<\/p>\n Svensson says he now knows of at least nine local court cases related to \u201cthe Com\u201d \u2013 the term for a broad online network that engages in cybercrime, extortion and violence<\/a>, and which includes 764. He says he has found dozens of Swedish members in chat groups.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bigger than these few cases,\u201d he says. \u201cI think it took a while for Swedish authorities and also the general public to actually understand this.\u201d<\/p>\n As he began to wade through videos and imagery shared by the group for SVT\u2019s investigation<\/a>, Svensson came across a teenager in the north of Sweden who had been convicted in 2024 of trying to coerce a 13-year-old boy to take his own life.<\/p>\n This, according to Jenny \u00d6stling, a senior public prosecutor with Sweden\u2019s National Unit against International and Organised Crime, was Chai.<\/p>\n The teenager, whose real name cannot be published, is on trial for more than 70 alleged offences, according to the indictment, including allegedly encouraging someone to self-harm and kill themselves, and the creation of child sexual abuse material. Most were allegedly committed against the Australian girl.<\/p>\n He is also charged with inducing a young man in Germany to harm himself so badly he almost died.<\/p>\n His lawyer, Emily T\u00f6yr\u00e4, told the Guardian he denies all the allegations.<\/p>\n Get in touch<\/p>\n Contact Guardian Australia<\/p>\n If you have something to share about this story, you can contact Guardian Australia\u2019s news teams using one of the following methods:<\/p>\n Secure Messaging in the Guardian app<\/p>\n The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS<\/a>\/Android<\/a>) and go to the menu. Select \u2018Secure Messaging\u2019. <\/p>\n Email<\/p>\n If you don’t need strong security you can write to a Guardian Australia journalist using the details here<\/a>. Click on a person to see their details.\u00a0<\/p>\n For end to end encrypted email you can create a free Proton Mail<\/a> account and email\u00a0gaus.contact@protonmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Messaging apps<\/p>\n You can use the encrypted messaging apps Signal or WhatsApp to message us at +61 490 758 250.<\/p>\n SecureDropIf you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.<\/a><\/p>\n Finally, our guide at theguardian.com\/tips<\/a>\u00a0lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.\u00a0<\/p>\n Show more<\/p>\n The trial was paused in late June after the Swedish court sent him for a forensic psychiatric investigation, according to court records, stating there was \u201ccompelling evidence that [he] has committed several of the acts with which he has been charged\u201d. The matter will return in August.<\/p>\n \u00d6stling says the case will test whether people can be held responsible for remotely coercing others into acts of self-harm or violence \u2013 a hallmark of groups such as 764.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a goal for the group itself: to destroy the world \u2026 But [members] also have a goal for themselves: they want to gain status within the group,\u201d \u00d6stling says.<\/p>\n Creating new material can be a prerequisite of entry to closed chatrooms and other markers of membership. \u201cThey primarily coerce young victims into cutting themselves or sexual acts,\u201d she says. \u201cThey use it to be able to coerce them into doing something worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00d6stling alleges Chai was \u201chigh status\u201d within 764, and was invited into a chatroom known as \u201c764 Inferno\u201d.<\/p>\n His lawyer disputes that characterisation, and says her client\u2019s involvement was limited to editing images and videos. \u201cThe Com environment is highly fluid,\u201d T\u00f6yr\u00e4 says. \u201cMy client does not accept the characterisation of \u2018764 Inferno\u2019 as the type of organised group alleged by the prosecution. In his view, it was simply one group chat among many.\u201d<\/p>\n A global phenomenon<\/p>\n An indictment<\/a> unveiled by the US Department of Justice in April 2025 alleges that two American men in their early 20s, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were part of a chatroom with the same name which \u201cwas reserved for the inner core of 764 members\u201d.<\/p>\n The pair are accused of using \u201c764 Inferno\u201d to conspire with other members to create and distribute child exploitation images, among other charges. Researchers have found at<\/a> least 295 arrests linked to the Com network in 33 countries, including Australia, where there are matters before the courts.<\/p>\n Cameron Finnigan, then 19, was jailed last year in the UK for possessing a \u2018kill guide\u2019 and indecent images of children. Photograph: Counter Terrorism Policing<\/p>\n In New Zealand<\/a>, after a tipoff from US authorities, Ronndog Keefe pleaded guilty in 2025 to 13 charges, including the distribution of \u201chorrific and graphic\u201d child exploitation material. The 22-year-old was sentenced to more than five years\u2019 jail in December.<\/p>\n Keefe claimed he was also a victim of 764, which he said had threatened to dox him if he did not distribute such material, according to legal records, but the court found this \u201csimply was not credible\u201d.<\/p>\n Last year in the UK, Cameron Finnigan, then 19, was given a nine-year extended sentence for possessing a terrorist document \u2013 a \u201ckill guide\u201d with advice about how to commit \u201ctruck attacks\u201d \u2013 and indecent images of children. He was also convicted of encouraging someone online to take their own life.<\/p>\n The court found Finnigan was part of 764. \u201cThe intended victims are \u2026 vulnerable individuals: in particular, LGBTQI+ youth, racial minorities and those suffering from mental illnesses or disorders,\u201d the judge said at his sentencing. \u201cThey are targeted precisely because they are so obviously vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n In June another British teenager, Elijah Palmer, was sentenced<\/a> for encouraging serious self-harm, among other charges. He was also linked to 764, police said, and had targeted his victim on Roblox and the chat platform Discord.<\/p>\n The FBI uses the term<\/a> \u201cnihilistic violent extremism\u201d to describe these activities but there is debate about the moniker. Some argue it is vague<\/a> and tries to unite too many different groups under one umbrella.<\/p>\n Researchers such as Argentino have noted<\/a> that ideology in these spaces can be \u201cfluid, performative, and primarily symbolic\u201d \u2013 occult or neo-Nazi imagery can function as markers of group membership rather than \u201cas coherent political programs\u201d.<\/p>\n Membership is also vague, according to Bj\u00f8rn Ihler, who prefers to add the term \u201cmisanthropic\u201d. \u201cThese are basically Discord servers,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s channels upon channels upon channels.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, the pursuit of sextortion material is about \u201cpower and \u2026 control of the victim\u201d, Ihler says, and such content can be shared in so-called \u201clore books\u201d for further victimisation by others.<\/p>\n \u201cSharing those materials \u2026 leads to increased \u2018clout\u2019, which is like the social currency,\u201d he says. \u201cGrappling with that is incredibly important from a victim-protection perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018It could happen to anyone\u2019<\/p>\n Long before these arrests took place, an independent researcher, Becca Spinks, had been tracking these groups from her home in Texas.<\/p>\n A knife found in Finnigan\u2019s home. Photograph: Counter Terrorism Policing<\/p>\n \u201cAs a mom, I\u2019m just horrified,\u201d she says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t close my eyes and just be like, \u2018Oh, well, someone else will deal with it.\u2019 Who\u2019s working on this? What\u2019s going on? How can we help?\u201d<\/p>\n As part of her work, she started to speak to the mother of Chai\u2019s Australian alleged victim several years ago, who was looking for help to get the attention of authorities and assistance for her child.<\/p>\n The trials of men linked to 764 taking place all over the world, Spinks says, have come as some relief. \u201cShe\u2019s very brave,\u201d she says of the alleged victim in Chai\u2019s case. \u201cAnd her mum also is really just a powerhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n Chai\u2019s trial has largely taken place behind closed doors but the toll the alleged crimes have taken on victims is clear.<\/p>\n Spinks says her biggest priority is raising awareness for parents and law enforcement officials.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of times kids come forward and maybe [the police] don\u2019t recognise the signs that it\u2019s the 764 network, and so they don\u2019t pursue it as aggressively as they should,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Spinks says there needs to be greater awareness for parents too. The Australian federal police cite warning signs<\/a> including indications of self-harm, sudden withdrawal from family and friends and secretive behaviour about online interactions.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest, most dangerous misunderstandings is that this won\u2019t happen to us, or this only happens to a certain type of kid, when in reality, it could honestly happen to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you know more? Contact ariel.bogle@theguardian.com<\/p>\n In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline<\/a> on 13 11 14, and at MensLine<\/a> on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind<\/a> is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline<\/a> on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America<\/a> at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In late 2024, in a quiet suburb of Stockholm, a 14-year-old boy approached a man in his 80s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":814614,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-814613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}