Another Dutch member of sadistic "Com" accused of forcing self-mutilation, sextortion

The police arrested another member of the sadistic Com movement, specifically the 764 group, on October 14. The 22-year-old man from Hoofddorp is suspected of forcing victims to carve his online handle into their bodies and sextortion, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported on Thursday.

The Hoofddorp man is formally suspected of aggravated assault and extortion. According to the OM, he shared in various online chat groups that he had created multiple victims with “cutsigns” - forcing them to carve his online username into their legs and chests with a knife. “Images of such cutsigns have actually been found in Telegram chat groups. They are believed to have been sent by the suspect.”

The man forced his victims to commit this self-mutilation through sextortion, blackmailing them with sexual photos of them that he had obtained, the OM said.

The investigation into the Hoofddorp man is ongoing. He will appear in court for a remand hearing on October 28, where the judge will decide on extending his pre-trial detention.

Earlier this week, Zembla reported that the police had arrested a 25-year-old man from Eindhoven also for forcing victims to carve his online handle into their skins, among other things. He allegedly led several 764 chat groups, including some in which images of violent attacks on people and manuals for things like bomb-making and murder were shared. The Eindhoven man was arrested in June. He is suspected of terrorism, and the trial against him started on Tuesday.

Com, or “the Community,” originated in the United States and consists of radical and sadistic online subgroups like 764 and No Lives Matter. The young members of this group normalize and glorify extreme violence, the OM said. “The goal is to pressure young people into committing (sexual) violence against themselves, random others, or even their pets or siblings.” They recruit their victims on online games popular with young children, like Roblox, and on social media.

These radical online groups pose a growing international threat, the OM said, and the Dutch authorities are very concerned. “The ultimate goal is to persuade their victims, often young people in their early teens or even younger, to commit murder or suicide. The members gain more prestige and status by sharing increasingly extreme material,” the OM said.

According to Zembla, the authorities are also investigating three other 764 members: a 28-year-old man from Amsterdam and two boys from Sittard and Zaandam. NRC previously identified at least 25 Dutch teenagers and children in the global network, estimated to consist of thousands of members.