The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating a young German man arrested on March 17 on allegations he used online chat groups to incite murder, arson and sexual violence across multiple countries. He is accused of founding a far-right organisation aimed at provoking social collapse and of circulating violent images and videos to promote attacks. Reported charges include incitement to murder, arson, rape and the organised distribution of child sexual abuse material. Authorities linked the case to the COM online scene and compared it to an ongoing Hamburg trial against an alleged online abuser known as "White Tiger."
German Man Arrested Over Alleged International Incitement, Child Sexual Abuse and Far‑Right Organising
FILE PHOTO - A person types with his fingers on an illuminated laptop keyboard. (is associated with: «German man accused of driving children to violence through chat groups») Philip Dulian/dpa
German federal prosecutors are investigating a young German man accused of using online chat groups to incite murder, arson and sexual violence across several countries, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday.
Arrest and process: The suspect was arrested on March 17 and remains in pre-trial detention. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has taken over the investigation from the Koblenz public prosecutor's office. The man is due to be presented before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice.
Allegations and alleged methods
Prosecutors say the accused used chat groups to persuade a minor in Russia to stab a child at a school and encouraged youths in the United States and Sweden to set vehicles on fire. He is also alleged to have founded a far-right organisation by late March 2024 that aimed to instigate serious crimes — including murder or manslaughter — to provoke social collapse.
Investigators allege that images and video footage of violent acts were deliberately circulated in chats to promote the organisation and to encourage further attacks. Prosecutors say the suspect distributed video compilations of some of the acts online.
Charges reported
Authorities have reported a wide range of charges, including:
- Incitement to murder
- Multiple counts of arson
- Rape and sexual abuse of a child
- Organised distribution of child sexual abuse material
- Public incitement to commit crimes and glorification of criminal acts
- Depictions of violence
Prosecutors additionally alleged the suspect urged the killing of a US citizen in a chat group and that he contacted a child in another European country, coercing the child to perform sexual acts on themselves with a knife — acts that reportedly caused serious injury.
Links to online networks and context
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said it linked the case to the so-called COM online scene, which investigators say seeks out young, mostly female users on social media and gaming platforms and manipulates them into degrading acts or self-harm, at times encouraging suicide.
Prosecutors noted similarities to an ongoing trial in Hamburg against a defendant known as "White Tiger," accused of leading the international sadist network "764" and of committing more than 200 offences by targeting psychologically vulnerable children and young people online.
Note: These are allegations under investigation. No conviction has been reported at this stage.
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