Young people’s ‘fascination’ with violence is latest extremist threat, EU chief warns

In a recent operation co-ordinated by Europol, over 4,300 web addresses were linked to one of the biggest networks focused on 'nihilistic violent extremism', known as “The Com'. Photo: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks, the EU’s counter-terrorism chief is warning of a “fascination” among certain young people with violence, which is fuelled online and perpetrated offline.

In an interview with European media, Bartjan Wegter said this obsession with violence “for the sake of violence”, rather than as a tool for spreading ideology, is the latest mutation of violent extremism.

The EU’s Counter-Terrorism co-ordinator was speaking ahead of the September 11, 2001, plane attacks in New York, Virginia, and Washington DC, in which a total of almost 3,000 people died.

Mr Wegter told AP news agency that law enforcement is now dealing with online groups focused on “nihilistic violent extremism”.

He cited a recent operation co-ordinated by Europol, the EU police agency, in which over 4,300 web addresses were linked to one of the biggest such networks, known as “The Com”. These addresses were found in nine member states, including Ireland.

As reported in the Irish Examiner last July, Gardaí identified a number of adolescents involved with this network and they referred those identified to Tusla in order to provide support to them and their parents.

Europol has described The Com, referring to the “Community”, as a loose network of fringe online groups that are “misanthropic” (have a hatred of humans) and “nihilistic” (believe life has no meaning).

It says these groups “lack a unified ideology or centralised structure”, and tend to view violence as “an end in itself”.

Mr Wegter said: “It’s violence for the sake of violence…a fascination with violence. It’s violence as a means of asserting oneself, as a means of gaining status in those online communities. There’s not a direct link with ideology.” 

In Finland last year, a 16-year-old boy stabbed three female student colleagues. He allegedly shared a “manifesto” in WhatsApp groups, recorded the attack on Snapchat, and asked on social media for someone to save and give him the video after his release.

In the “manifesto,” he said that he wanted to do something “significant” and “exciting”, according to Europol.

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In Italy last year, a 15-year-old boy planned a murder to gain notoriety online, authorities there said. He kept images and videos of assaults, murders, school shootings, and child sexual abuse images on his smartphone.

Mr Wegter said these kinds of incidents, which have been on the rise for two to three years, were not isolated and were “organised” by online networks that are “often driven by young people, for young people, often involving young boys.” 

He said that they lead to offline violence: "We’ve seen stabbings, a young individual stabbing an elderly person for no reason whatsoever.” 

One of the most notorious of the Com groups is one known as 764. 

In Germany last year, a 20-year-old man believed to be a leading member of the network faced 123 charges over what Europol described as acts of “an unimaginable level of brutality and inhumanity,” including murder, rape, and the sexual abuse of children.

• Cormac O’Keeffe, security correspondent