Overview
- The case opened before a juvenile chamber without public access, with the defendant in pretrial detention and 82 hearings scheduled through December.
- The indictment lists offenses from January 2021 to September 2023 against more than 30 minors, including one completed and five attempted murders.
- Investigators allege victims aged about 11 to 15 were groomed online, forced to self‑injure or perform sexual acts on camera, and then blackmailed with recordings.
- Cases span Germany, England, Canada, and the United States, and the court has admitted a young Finnish victim as a co‑plaintiff.
- U.S. investigators shared findings with Hamburg authorities in 2023, and a former FBI agent criticized delays, while prosecutors say they initially opened a case for suspected child‑pornography offenses.