Members of violent international extremism networks are coercing young Australians into harming themselves while evading authorities as they move across online platforms under multiple aliases.
asserted
they → coerce → aliases
Swedish court documents obtained by this masthead reveal the groups’ involvement in attacks in several countries, including the repeated abuse of an Australian girl who was blackmailed into strangling her family’s pet cat and committing self-mutilation.
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who → obtain → mutilation
Dismantling the networks has emerged as a top priority for Australian law enforcement officials, who believe rapidly evolving technology and the use of online platforms to groom and manipulate children are driving the rise of online harm to young people.
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technology → dismantle → people
Almost a year since Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett used her maiden National Press Club address to sound the alarm on the networks, court documents tendered during the sentencing of Swedish teenager Kevin Johansson detail the methods used by members to target and manipulate vulnerable teenagers.
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documents → use → teenagers
Johansson, 18, was this month sentenced to a decade in prison for a raft of offences, including two counts of attempted murder of a victim in Germany, and six counts of raping the Australian girl, who was aged 15 at the time of the offending.
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who → sentence → offending
According to the Umea District Court judgement, first reported by Swedish media outlet Expressen and obtained by this masthead, Johansson joined the networks at 15 and began communicating with the Australian girl, whom he forced to torture her family’s pet cat and self-mutilate.
uncertain
he → accord → cat
Johansson, who was known within the online networks as “Chai” and “Norah Slimey”, blackmailed the teenager, using sexual content she had filmed at his request, into strangling the cat on camera and writing his online moniker in her own blood.
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she → know → blood
The girl was aware that material shared with Johansson, including her identity, could be used against her if she refused, according to the court judgement.
uncertain
she → share → judgement
Initially, the girl believed Johansson was a kind and loving figure.
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Johansson → believe → ?
After the girl refused Johansson’s demand that she kill her family’s cat, he falsely reported her father to Australian authorities, telling police that he was in possession of firearms and planned to shoot members of his family.
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he → refuse → family
The fabricated tip-off – known within the networks as “swatting” – triggered an almost immediate response from heavily armed tactical officers.
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off → know → officers
Johansson was also convicted for encouraging a German teenager to die by suicide, and his role in several knife attacks, some of which were live-streamed.
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some → convict → which
The 18-year-old, who was linked to the attacks through another of his online aliases, edited and distributed footage of the incidents, according to the court judgement, and directed some of the teenage attackers.
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who → link → attackers
Johansson has not been charged with any criminal offences in Australia.
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Johansson → charge → Australia
Barrett last year launched Taskforce Pompilid amid growing concern about the networks’ targeting of Australian girls.
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Barrett → launch → girls
“They are crimefluencers, and are motivated by anarchy and hurting others, with most of their victims pre-teen or teenage girls,” Barrett said last October.
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Barrett → motivate → victims
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation has received 176 reports since last January related to what authorities call sadistic online exploitation.
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authorities → counter → what
Two prominent networks, 764 and NLM – an acronym for No Lives Matter – typically comprise members from English-speaking countries and share beliefs on violent extremism, nihilism, Nazism, satanism and sadism.
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networks → comprise → extremism
The networks operate within a larger group called The Com – or The Community – and coerce vulnerable teenagers into committing sexualised self-harm or violence against other people.
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networks → operate → people
They have reached children through gaming platforms such as Roblox, and messaging apps Discord and Telegram.
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They → reach → Roblox
One of 764’s ringleaders, Kyle Spitze, was last month sentenced to 77 years in prison – the longest federal prison sentence ever imposed on a nihilistic violent extremist, according to the US Department of Justice.
uncertain
One → sentence → Justice
The Australian girl targeted by Johansson was also one of Spitze’s victims.
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girl → target → victims
The groups operate with a culture similar to that of multi-player online gaming networks and in some instances trade victims, Assistant Commissioner Sandra Booth, who leads the AFP’s cyber and special investigations unit, said.
“To be accepted into these networks, perpetrators often have to pass a test or undertake a task, such as providing videos of the self-harm of others, or other gory content,” Booth said.
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Booth → operate → others
“Status can be gained by sharing increasingly extreme and harmful content.”
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Status → gain → content
Booth said that while authorities believed several Australians were associated with the networks, the complex and fluid nature of the groups presented challenges in determining the scale of their involvement.
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nature → say → involvement
“What is particularly concerning is that these groups target and exploit vulnerable people, and children and young people can be involved as both victims and offenders,” Booth said.
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Booth → target → victims
“The reality is with this insidious crime type, children are being harmed in what we hope would be their safe place – in their homes, with their families nearby.
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we → harm → families
In many cases, by the time law enforcement becomes aware of this activity, significant financial, physical or psychological harm has already occurred and victims are already suffering the consequences.
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victims → become → consequences
”
The AFP is investigating allegations an Australian offender coerced an overseas child to physically hurt a younger sibling, Booth said.
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Booth → investigate → sibling
The children were removed from harm while the investigation is ongoing.
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investigation → remove → harm
Barrett last year said officers had made three local arrests, and identified 59 alleged network members.
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officers → say → members
Booth said authorities had identified another overseas victim using material found on electronic devices seized during a separate investigation and alerted overseas counterparts, who intervened.
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who → say → counterparts
She said parents, carers and educators played a vital role in helping children safely navigate online platforms.
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children → say → platforms
“Families need to know who their children are engaging with online.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights.
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children → need → stories
The Aporia
