This article was originally published in German (dist[ex] monitor 1. Quartal 2026) and was automatically translated for international dissemination.

By Monitoring team (Violence Prevention Network)

Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) refers to a phenomenon that has attracted considerable attention from experts in recent time. In January, for example, the trial of the so-called White Tiger began. Sharihar J. from Hamburg, who was charged back in June 2025, is alleged to have used the mentioned pseudonym to blackmail and manipulate more than 30 minors worldwide into engaging in self-harm, sexual acts and violence against animals and other people. The victims documented their self-harm or actions in photos or videos, which they sent to him. In total, the person behind the White Tiger account is accused of over 200 criminal offences. J. faces charges in a case concerning the suicide of a 13-year-old boy in the USA. The defendant is accused of having encouraged the boy to take his own life during a live stream.[1]

The person behind the White Tiger account was part of the so-called 764 network, which is associated with this phenomenon.[2] The NVE spectrum is considered to be extremely heterogeneous: it consists of various unstable individual groups which, as part of a multi-layered network known as Com (“community”), are interconnected across countries and platforms. Com groups are also active as hackers, sending malware or inciting real-world violence such as rampages. The complexity of the phenomenon means that NVE is understood as a working term. The term is used to describe different forms of violence that are planned within online communities and are based on similar motives. The first comparable developments emerged in the second half of the 2010s on Discord.[3] 764 is regarded as a prominent group within the Com network.[4] The groups CVLT (now inactive) and No Lives Matter (NLM) are also associated with this network. [5]

A common trait among NVE actors is the desire to cause suffering, violence and chaos, without embedding this within a clear ideological framework or working towards unambiguous political goals. The motivations of Com members include, for example, the satisfaction of their own sadistic tendencies, recognition and status within the scene, a nihilistic worldview or misanthropy.[6] Many Com members are young men; some have previously been involved in far-right and right-wing terrorist activities. Com groups are infiltrated by other extremist actors, which is why elements characteristic of far-right extremism or Islamism may appear in the forum chats. However, the hatred emanating from NVE groups is directed at society, and they regard violence as an end in itself.[7]

NVE actors initially attempt to build trust with their victims in order to manipulate them and/or inflict violence upon them. This approach is known as (cyber) grooming [8]. In doing so, they often seek to develop so-called long-term victims: Over time, the perpetrators obtain compromising material of their mostly young victims (nude photos or similar) and subsequently use this to coerce them into further acts of violence. The abuse escalates gradually, beginning with seemingly harmless demands and developing into a long-term relationship of psychological dependence. This kind of blackmail involving sexually violent acts is known as sextortion. Detailed sextortion guides circulate within the scene, describing how young users can be manipulated and lured into a seemingly trusting relationship, only for violence to be subsequently inflicted upon them. The victims are mostly girls, queer children and young people with mental health issues. The perpetrators often contact their victims in online gaming communities, in (self-help) groups with vulnerable users, and in so-called e-girl communities. Part of this strategy also involves gradually isolating the victims from their social circle before the actual blackmail begins (sometimes even simultaneously). Despite the targeted approach, their contact attempts succeed only with a small number of individuals. Some victims become perpetrators themselves, partly out of coercion, partly because the experiences of domination they have endured lead them to want to find themselves in a position of power.

There are indicators for professionals and affected family members to identify potential victims of NVE. These signs are not conclusive evidence that contact has already been established by NVE perpetrators. The processes involved in establishing contact vary greatly and may develop in ways not covered by the following indicators. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue lists, amongst others, the following possible signs that contact has already been made. It may be interpreted as an indication if a person …

• spends a conspicuously large amount of time in online spaces, even at night
• exhibits sudden changes in behaviour (regarding daily routine, sleeping or eating habits)
• possesses expensive items for reasons that are difficult to explain (gifts from the perpetrators)
• withdraws socially (at the perpetrators’ behest)
• is shunned by a pet (at the perpetrators’ behest to torment the animal)
• suddenly loses their pet (at the perpetrators’ behest to kill the animal)
• wears long clothing in hot weather (to conceal self-harm)[9]

Other clear identifying features include carved patterns depicting the name of a perpetrator or specific symbols such as the number sequence 764. Family members should engage with children in an understanding and interested manner about their behaviour, experiences, and potential incidents in digital spaces. This may also include educating them about online dangers and the mechanisms of manipulation and cybergrooming. Difficult topics require a space in which they can be discussed without judgement. If a child is overwhelmed or exhibiting clearly concerning behaviour, support can be sought from counselling centres or psychologists. If a child has indeed fallen victim to perpetrators within the Com network, the first step should be to provide the child with a sense of safety, stability and trust, and to reassure them that they are protected and not alone. The next step is to cut off contact with the perpetrators in question as quickly as possible. Before doing so, any potential evidence, such as text messages and profile information, should be secured, for example by taking screenshots. Seeking external help from the school or counselling centres, as well as reporting the matter to the police, may also be options. Family members and professionals are strongly advised against taking the law into their own hands. It is also essential for relatives and professionals, when dealing with reports of sexual violence against victims, not to store any child sexual abuse material on their own devices or to take screenshots of such content on their own devices.[10]

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[1] WDR: “Trial against ‘White Tiger’: Child driven to suicide?”, wdr.de, 9 January 2026: https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/white-tiger-prozess-cybergrooming-suizid-mord-100.html (last accessed: 17 February 2026).

[2] Short video from NDR-Info: “Sadist network ‘764’: More than 100 cases in Hamburg”, ardmediathek.de, 29 July 2025: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/ndr-info/ sadisten-netzwerk-764-mehr-als-100-faelle-in-hamburg/ndr/Y3JpZDovL25kci5kZS9hNjYxZWRlYi03M2Y1LTRhMGItOWMwZi1mMzc2N2VkNTExZjA (last accessed: 12 February 2026).

[3] Thilo Manemann: “Nihilistic Violent Extremism: When the Goal is Destruction”, cemas.io, 16 September 2025: https://cemas.io/blog/nihilistic-violent-extremism/ (last accessed: 12 February 2026) ; Felix Neumann: “The Development of Nihilistic Violence”, kas.de, 8 January 2026: https://www.kas.de/de/einzeltitel/-/content/die-entwicklung-nihilistischer-gewalt (last accessed: 12 February 2026).

[4] The so-called “764 Network” refers to a decentralised, internationally connected and highly hierarchical online group, which is primarily situated within extremist digital subcultures. The network developed from the group CVLT, which was active from approximately 2017 to 2022 (see Neumann 2025).

[5] Gerard Gill: “Meaning Through Its Opposite: Significance Quest Theory and Nihilistic Violent Extremism”, gnet-research.org, 18 July 2025: https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/18/meaning-through-its-opposite-significance-quest-theory-and-nihilistic-violent-extremism/ (last accessed: 12 February 2026).

[6] Manemann 2025; Neumann 2026.

[7] Manemann 2025; Neumann 2026; ISD UK: ‘Terror without ideology? The rise of nihilistic violence’, isdglobal, 8 May 2025: https://www.isdglobal.org/digital-dispatch/terror-without-ideology-the-rise-of-nihilistic-violence-an-isd-investigation/ (last accessed: 12 February 2026).

[8] Information from the BKA (German Federal Criminal Police Office) on cybergrooming: https://www.bka.de/DE/UnsereAufgaben/Aufgabenbereiche/Zentralstellen/Kinderpornografie/Cybergrooming/Cybergrooming_node.html (last accessed: 12 February 2026).

[9] Institute for Strategic Dialogue US: “Networks of Harm: A Victim-Centric Information Resource on the 764 Sextortion Network”, isdglobal.org, 2025 (victim-centred information booklet on NVE by ISD-US) (see, for example, p. 4): https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/764_Networks-of-Harm.pdf (last accessed: 12 February 2026).

[10] Institute for Strategic Dialogue US 2026 (see, for example: pp. 4–19); Institute for Strategic Dialogue US: ‘Spotting the Signs: Recognising and Responding to Subcultures of Nihilistic Violence’ (Guide to Dealing with NVE), isdglobal, 2025: https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Spotting-the-Signs-Guide.pdf (last accessed: 12 February 2026).