Kathrine Frich
A disturbing online threat is quietly spreading into British homes.
Hidden behind games, forums and encrypted chats, extremist networks are drawing children into real-world violence.
Police and security officials say the scale and cruelty of the activity is escalating.
Groomed in bedrooms
Neo-Nazi gangs are targeting teenagers online and coercing them into carrying out violent acts offline, according to reporting by the Daily Express.
Investigators have uncovered cases in which young people were encouraged to commit knife attacks and livestream the assaults for extremist audiences.
The groups approach children through online games and forums before moving conversations to encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram.
Victims are then groomed, manipulated and in some cases blackmailed into compliance.
Authorities say the activity is not confined to hidden corners of the internet, but exists on the same platforms used daily by young people.
Sadistic networks
One group, known as No Lives Matter (NLM), has reportedly recruited hundreds of members since being founded in 2020, the Daily Express reported.
Dutch investigators have also identified links between NLM and another network known as 764.
The 764 group has been described by investigators as a sadistic criminal network connected to sexual abuse and extreme violence.
According to the Daily Express, the group has been linked to the abuse of girls as young as 11.
British police are now seeing cases connected to 764 emerging in the UK.
Police alarm
Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency, described the rise of such gangs as a “deeply concerning” trend.
Speaking last year, he said networks made up largely of teenage boys were “dedicated to inflicting harm”.
“This is a hugely complex and deeply concerning phenomenon,” Mr Biggar said.
“Young people are being drawn into these sadistic and violent online gangs where they are collaborating at scale to inflict, or incite others to commit, serious harm.”
“These groups are not lurking on the dark web, they exist in the same online world and platforms young people use on a daily basis,” he added.
Cases across Europe
The Sun reported that British police found material linked to 764 belonging to Cameron Finnigan, 19, jailed last year for plotting to kill a homeless man.
Investigators also found Category A child sexual abuse images on his computer.
In Sweden, a 14-year-old boy livestreamed multiple knife attacks in Stockholm in 2024, injuring eight people.
Footage was shared on NLM and 764 channels, helping police identify him. Due to his age, he could not be criminally charged.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the age of criminal responsibility is 10. In Scotland, it is 12.
Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson warned last year that the growth of so-called “Com networks” was “hugely concerning”.
He said investigations were under way and issued a warning to offenders that police would pursue them.
Sources: Daily Express, National Crime Agency, The Sun
