Two men have been arrested and charged for allegedly playing key roles in operating “one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises” federal authorities have ever encountered, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, and Prasan Nepal, 20, are accused of leading “764 Inferno,” a core subgroup of a U.S.-based criminal online network known as “764,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The group targeted vulnerable people, specifically children , online and used violent tactics that were designed to induce self-harm, a criminal complaint states.
“764 is a network of nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad, seeking to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release April 30. “The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the United States Government.”…