Police in southwestern Germany have arrested a 19-year-old man from the Tuttlingen district on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder. The German national was detained under a warrant and is being held in pretrial custody, according to Baden-Württemberg’s Cybercrime Center and Konstanz police.
Investigators allege that he founded and remained active in an online group associated with the so-called COM network. Together with other participants, he is accused of using streaming services to pressure a child and, in a separate case, a teenage girl to attempt suicide. Authorities said both alleged victims had already engaged in life-threatening acts. The teenager is believed to be abroad, while the child has not yet been identified.
The suspect is also accused of encouraging girls aged between 12 and 15 to self-harm in three cases. In another case, he allegedly persuaded a 13-year-old girl from Germany to send nude images. Members of the group are said to have targeted children and teenagers online, using coercion, deception or threats to force self-harm, suicide attempts or the transmission of nude material. They allegedly demanded evidence of the acts through livestreams or video.
The suspect also faces allegations of causing grievous bodily harm and of founding and leading a criminal organization. Special police units carried out the arrest early in the morning. At the same time, investigators searched five properties and seized electronic devices for examination.
The authorities also recently brought charges against a 17-year-old from the Ludwigsburg district in a separate case linked to the same online scene. He is accused of offenses including aggravated sexual abuse of children and teenagers, producing child sexual abuse material, causing grievous bodily harm through indirect perpetration and membership in a criminal organization.
Prosecutors allege that the teenager joined a sadistic offshoot of the “764” network, known as the “Nefarious Maniac Cult,” in spring 2025 and acted as a recruiter. He allegedly contacted potential victims in at least 12 cases. Investigators say significant self-harm occurred in six cases and sexual acts in four; the identified victims were between 12 and 16 years old and lived abroad.
The “764” network is also linked by investigators to a German-Iranian man arrested in Hamburg in June and known as “White Tiger.” The 21-year-old is alleged to have led a group that sexually abused and tortured numerous children online. Prosecutors in Hamburg have accused him of, among other offenses, driving a 13-year-old American boy to suicide. His trial is being held behind closed doors.
Sources: FAZ.