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A European law enforcement agency has today issued a notification to raise awareness about the rise of “online cult communities dedicated to extremely violent child abuse,” that target isolated young people with an aim to pressuring them into joining the community.
Europol stated today that their alert is focused on “online grooming cult groups dedicated to normalising violence and corrupting minors, advocating for the collapse of modern society through acts of terror, chaos and violence, and spreading ideologies that inspire mass shootings, bombings and other acts of crime”.
This comes just weeks after US Homeland Security, supported by Europol and the French police force, arrested members of an “online community dedicated to grooming, sexual abuse, acts of cruelty, torture and murders.”
On that occasion, Europol said that these “extremist” communities are part of a larger online network called “The Com”, short for “The Community”, which operates on social media.
“Through this network, extremists around the world collude to groom and abuse children,” the Europol statement continued.
In its latest Intelligence Notification, Europol said that the phenomenon of violent online exploitation “has grown significantly in recent years”. According to the law enforcement agency, these groups pose “a serious threat to public safety”:
“The content shared by individuals belonging to these groups is extremely violent, ranging from gore and animal cruelty, to child sexual exploitation material (CSAM) and depictions of murder. The dissemination of extreme content serves as a vessel to desensitise vulnerable people, with the purpose of breaking societal norms and normalising violence to corrupt minors and groom them towards future violence. These criminal or violent extremist groups compete against each other to share the most violent content. They operate similarly to certain cults in which charismatic leaders use deception and manipulation to render their followers obedient and dependent on the cult.”
Minors and vulnerable youths constitute the main targets of these grooming cults, who are often identified through mainstream avenues such as gaming platforms and social media sites.
The groups employ “love bombing” (which involves treating the target extremely well in order to gain their full trust), during which time they gather the person’s personal information via voluntary disclosure or open sources. This information is then used exploitatively during the grooming process, according to Europol.
“Once trust is gained, communication moves to more private online spaces, like end-to-end encrypted communication platforms, where the exploitation then takes place. Here, victims are coerced into sharing explicit content or performing harmful acts, usually under the threat of blackmail. Typical extortion tactics include threatening to share the victim’s explicit content with their family, friends, or online communities unless they comply with further demands.”
The notification says that EU authorities have identified cases where members caused serious injuries and perpetrated murders, targeting family members as well as passers-by.
“Today, digital platforms enable communications globally; violent extremist online communities also leverage this opportunity. Violent perpetrators spread harmful ideologies, often targeting our youth. These networks radicalise minds in the shadows, inciting them to bring violence into the real world. Awareness is our first line of defence,” Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said following the release of the notification.
“Families, educators and communities must stay vigilant and equip young people with critical thinking skills to resist online manipulation. International cooperation is also imperative – by sharing intelligence and holding perpetrators accountable, we can combat these dangerous communities and safeguard future generations from the grip of extreme violence and crime.”
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