Europol said it supported a multi-country operation over several weeks in June and July that flagged 4,340 web links linked to “The Com” — a loose online network associated with nihilistic violent extremist content.
Investigators from nine countries took part in the “Referral Action Days”, which focused on disrupting how the network spreads propaganda online and on identifying new investigative leads, Europol informed on Friday.
The work was organised by Europol’s EU Internet Referral Unit and Spain’s Intelligence Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO).
What is “The Com” and what content was targeted?
“The Com”, short for “Community”, is described as a network of fringe online groups with no single ideology or central structure, Europol said.
It added that some factions adopt violent right-wing extremist beliefs and “accelerationist” ideas — meaning they seek to bring about societal collapse through violence.
Europol said groups linked to The Com use social media, messaging apps and gaming platforms to recruit members and groom victims, including encouraging self-harm, animal torture and violent attacks, and producing child sexual abuse material.
Victims are typically coerced into staying under perpetrators’ control through sextortion.
The URLs referred during the operation referenced content including images and videos depicting self-harm, suicide, child sexual abuse material, animal cruelty and violent attacks.
The participating countries were Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
