A second Alberta teen who authorities say is associated with a violent web-based extremist group that preys on children, is facing multiple charges related to terrorism and other offences.
The RCMP arrested a 17-year-old from Lethbridge on Sept. 3 on charges relating to terrorism, child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and animal cruelty, Supt. Matt Johnson told reporters during a Sept. 28 press briefing.
An investigation was launched after the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) received information from the Lethbridge Police Service that a youth using the social media platform Discord was allegedly affiliated with the designated terrorist group ‘764.’
The investigation led to the teen’s arrest, Johnson said. The teen’s gender was not released and the youth’s name is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The teen has been charged with participation in activity of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity, and commission of offence for a terrorist group as well as possession and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation material and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Police did not disclose any details about the specific allegations that prompted the terrorism charges. The teen is scheduled to appear at the Lethbridge Alberta Court of Justice on Oct. 14.
The arrest in Lethbridge earlier this month marks the second case involving an Alberta youth suspected of association with the 764 network.
A 15-year-old Edmonton youth was arrested and charged last spring with a terrorism-related offence stemming from involvement with the same group. Later that fall, the teen faced additional charges related to terrorism, violating a terrorism peace bond, and child pornography.
The RCMP also announced terrorism charges against a Quebec City man this spring, after accusing him of posting violent content online for the 764 network.
Three separate terrorism charges were filed against 26-year-old Jeffrey Roussel in connection with “graphic, violent, and highly disturbing content” being published online to recruit young people, the RCMP said.
Johnson said the RCMP initially detected problems associated with the 764 network three years ago, noting that police have witnessed “a massive spike” in such investigations since then.
What Is 764?
Police say 764 is a decentralized transnational network of violent predators known for its targeting of adolescents and children as young as eight, often pressuring them into capturing and distributing intimate images or committing acts of violence, self-harm, and animal cruelty.
The group operates under a shared ideology rather than a traditional, rigid, leadership structure, and rejects all forms of religious, moral, and social values, while endorsing the belief that life is meaningless.
Canada was the first country to classify the 764 network as a terrorist organization. The group’s designation under the Criminal Code was officially announced last December.
The 764 group is also affiliated with a larger network referred to as “the Com” which glorifies serious violence, cruelty, and gore.
“The COM (short for “community”) is a virtual network of groups and individuals engaged in illicit activities that glorify child sexual abuse and exploitation materials, pedophilia, violence, cruelty, and gore,” the RCMP said on its site. “Violent online groups, such as those within the COM network, deliberately target, victimize, and recruit vulnerable people, including children and youth.”
Canadian police are increasingly warning parents about the dangers of 764 because it operates on social media platforms popular with young people such as Discord, Telegram, Roblox, Minecraft, and Twitch.
The RCMP is urging parents to monitor their children’s online activity and be watchful for signs of potential recruitment such as dropping grades, mood swings, isolating, and excessive use of online platforms.
The 764 network often persuades victims to participate in “gore” activities, the RCMP said. Cut signs are one such activity in which the child is manipulated into carving the name of the group or their tormentor’s digital alias into their own skin.
“This almost always escalates over time, but can also increase rapidly,” the RCMP said. “The predator influences the child or youth into conducting acts that increasingly shame, incriminate, or isolate them, making them vulnerable to further exploitation.”
The RCMP is urging parents or other adults who suspect that a child is being pursued by this type of organization to immediately contact local authorities.
