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1h ago

FBI Expands Counterterrorism Efforts Against '764' Online Exploitation Network

The extremist group, which targets minors for abuse and radicalization, is under investigation with over 250 active cases nationwide.

An FBI agent listens to the operation pre-briefing for Operation Dead Hand. As part of this investigation, a team of FBI and international law enforcement agencies conducted multiple arrests the morning of January 30, 2024, across the United States and Canada, to disrupt and dismantle an international organized crime syndicate importing and exporting massive quantities of drugs across the North American continent.
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Overview

  • The FBI has classified the '764' network as a domestic terror threat and is investigating over 250 cases across all 55 field offices.
  • Two alleged leaders, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested in Greece and North Carolina, facing charges related to child exploitation and coercion.
  • The group exploits minors as young as nine, coercing them into self-harm, sexual abuse content, and violent acts, often through encrypted platforms like Discord and Roblox.
  • Authorities warn that victims are often radicalized into neo-Nazi or Satanist ideologies and coerced into becoming perpetrators themselves.
  • Parents are urged to monitor behavioral changes, signs of self-harm, and unusual injuries to pets as potential indicators of 764 involvement.