International law enforcement agencies have arrested several members of an online community that groomed and abused children, officials said Thursday. Homeland Security, Europol and the French police were involved in the investigation. The operation targeted multiple online communities that operate as part of an online network called "The Com," where "extremists around the world collude to groom and abuse children," according to a news release from Europol.
The two men, who were not identified, participated in what authorities described as a "neo-Nazi child exploitation ring that groomed and then coerced minors into produce child sexual abuse material and images of self-harm. Another member of the group has been in French custody since , for child exploitation and related offenses. A fourth is serving a year sentence in the United States for child sex abuse crimes committed in and Three of the four men are believed to have "acted as leaders and administrator" of the online community.
Those responsibilities included hosting and operating online servers and controlling membership for the group. The group's leaders targeted and manipulated vulnerable minors, particularly those with a history of sexual abuse or mental health issues, authorities say. The victims were "encouraged to engage in increasingly dehumanising acts" and film the actions, the news release said.
Those videos were then allegedly used to blackmail victims and attempt to pressure them into suicide. Some victims who left the group had the videos leaked.
Many other extremist and abusive groups that make up "The Com" follow similar practices. These organizations operate in easily accessible online spaces, authorities say, including social media platforms, mobile apps and online gaming platforms. They allegedly have children carry out activities that are violent or harmful to themselves or others, then use video evidence of the actions as a tool for blackmail for further gruesome activities.
