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Canada has become the first country to list the extremist network 764, known for preying on young people online, as a terrorist entity, the federal government announced Wednesday.
Ottawa added four new organizations to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities:
- The Islamic State-Mozambique.
In a statement, the government says 764, Maniac Murder Cult and Terrorgram Collective use social media and online gaming platforms to “recruit and radicalize individuals, spread propaganda and violent extremist narratives and incite violence both online and offline.”
Police in Canada have increasingly been warning parents about 764, described by authorities as nihilistic . The government describes their motives as “seeking to destroy civilized society through violence and chaos, not as a step towards a new ‘state’ but rather as an end itself.
Canada designated the extremist network 764 as a terrorist organization on Wednesday, the first time a country has done so. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says this will provide law enforcement with ‘better enforcement powers’ to safeguard children, as the network is known for targeting and exploiting young people online.
“Members routinely use various social media and gaming platforms, particularly those with young and marginalized user bases, to lure, groom and extort youth to commit violent and sexual acts, including self-harm,” it said.
In February 2024, police in Lethbridge, Alta., charged a 14-year-old boy with a series of offences, including making and distributing child pornography. Police allege he was a member of 764.
And just a few weeks ago police in Halifax charged a youth who was allegedly involved in the online extremist group with child pornography charges. That young person is accused of communicating with hundreds of youth worldwide.
Listing groups in the Criminal Code gives the federal government the power to freeze or seize property, vehicles and money, along with giving Canadian law enforcement additional tools to prosecute terrorist offences.
In a speech last month, the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warned about the number of young people becoming radicalized.
‘764’ is a global network of online predators — many are teenagers. They coerce minors to self-harm, maim animals, kill themselves and have even plotted acts of mass violence. Police struggle to contain what’s being called a growing terror threat.
“Worryingly, nearly one in 10 terrorism investigations at CSIS now includes at least one subject of investigation under the age of 18,” director Dan Rogers said to a crowd of invited guests at the National Arts Centre in downtown Ottawa.
Fortunately, he said, only a small number of youth or adults with extreme views resort to violence.
“But when they do, the consequences are devastating,” he said.
The government also listed Islamic State-Mozambique (IS-M), a known branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as an armed insurgent group seeking to replace the governing authority with Sharia law-based governance by seizing territory, infiltrating civilian populations and security forces and committing violent acts of terrorism.
