Hey parents, have you heard of O9A, 764, or CVLT? Not covered by mainstream media, but their work is demonstrated on a national scale. These are online groups hunting your children for exploitation, extortion, blackmail, and for the lulz. Their ideology and methodology are often tied to Satanism, but the Department of Justice has come up with a term that better describes these dangerous terror networks: Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE).
The What:O9A: Order of Nine Angels. This is an international phenomenon that started in the 1990's, and can be said to have birthed modern Nihilistic Violent Extremist networks. The underpinning ideological foundation of the Order of Nine Angels is said to be esoteric and satanic, but often the search for why obscures the nihilistic absence of philosophy. The underlying ideological foundation could be seen as a mask covering the true nature, which is simply the wielding of the tools: using violence to accelerate societal destabilization. The tool is the foundation. Associations with neo-Nazis or Satanists merely shows the vehicles of influence. The Order of Nine Angels has an international footprint, but its influence on other domestic organizations is what I see as its legecy.
764: This group demonstrates the accelerationism and decentralization within the Nihilistic Violent Extremist terrorism superset. 764 was founded in Texas by teenagers, which adds even further to the complexity of the NVE problem, often children are the perpetrators of network expansion within their own age cohort. At this point 764 is an old marker, as these accelerationist operators change names to avoid detection. A decentralized terror network has been created. Some have dubbed this decentralized network as The Com.
"764 is a violent online network that seeks to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government." DOJ criminal complaint against the founders of 764
CVLT: Pronounced "cult", this group within the Nihilistic Violent Extremism network has been exposed in the last year through multiple arrests and federal charges. Within the charging documents the government states clearly, "CVLT members participated in their online child exploitation activities because they wanted to create an army of sadist followers." The first arrests were in Texas, but more followed across the country from New Jersey to Hawaii.
Just as this podcast was being produced, a new NVE group under The Com umbrella named Purgatory has taken responsibility for swatting attacks on college campuses across the United States.
The Where:Our modern digital world has replaced so much of what living life used to be in a community. Now, community resides all over the globe within the box in your home. Our children have access to these amazing tools that connect society in ways that has never existed. However, these tools of connected productivity, learning, and entertainment can also be the playground for nefarious actors. Broken and abused members of our society use these tools to facilitate and accelerate the percentage of abused and victimized cohort within our population base.
Discord. Many parents know about this shared server system as a gathering spot for online gaming groups. The creative way communities can organize and communicate centered around gaming strategy and organization burst the platform into global popularity. However, this platform can be used by nefarious actors organizing for different games and purposes, and a child that simply sees the platform as a way to connect with others can be unaware of the nefarious characters lurking on the server systems.
Roblox. Yes. A child can voice chat on the Roblox platform. The system requires a child to be 13 years old. Interestingly, 13 years old is the exact age where children are given privacy rights from their parents by the state for matters of health.
PlayStation Network. As a parent, this was the first platform where I personally recognized the dangers of open online voice chats. Most often, these voice chats are not focused on gaming, but instead the community a child connects with. This occurred especially during the Covid era of canceled schools and mobility reluctance. The network randomly places people, including adults, into voice chats with children as they group-up for game play.
These are just a few of the more popular "gaming centric" platforms where children and parents might be unaware of nefarious actors lurking for nihilistic violent purposes. "The how" could be any online organizing platform, and often times contact in one leads to invites to others. An innocent conversation on Roblox or PlayStation can lead a victim to a whole community of nefarious actors on a Discord server waiting to pounce.
The Why:This is where my experience and opinion deviate from the simple labeling of law enforcement or the mainstream media. The hyperbolic labeling takes away from the systemic cause. "The neo-Nazi Satanists are coming for your children!" they say. But again, I see this outward facing ideology more as a mask of the underlying root. The flashy forbidden symbology of Nazis and Satanists are used more as shocking content vehicles more so than an adherence to a philosophical, political, or spiritual doctrine.
At the heart is the possibility that the core perpetrators are victims of abuse themselves; but instead of finding safe pathways of love and healing, they become trapped in a vicious cycle of revenge that creates more victims. The revenge focused on society instead of the original perpetrator.
"Nihilism is a philosophy characterized by a belief in the meaninglessness of life and existence, the absence of objective value, and the denial of knowledge or truth." Google Gemini definition
"Nihilism" used by the Department of Justice cuts away the noise of the accelerationist tools, and cuts to a deeper meaning behind the violent groups. The likely possibility that those caught in the snare of accelerationist doctrine or behavior patterns believe the reality that surrounds them is without meaning or societal cohesion. Our shared reality becomes more of a playground for their predatory instincts. They see society as abandoning them, applying no value, so they then value society without worth. The lack of meaning and worth on a broad scale easily transforms down to the individual level where victims are prey, and the prey are turned into members. This further justifies the belief system, as groupthink is created through a false mirror or lens of reality.
Nihilism also opens the door to something I have witnessed myself in cultures born in online settings. There is a possibility these packs of accelerationists do it for the lulz. The President of the United States Donald Trump once said in a speech, "We do a little trolling." Through an online culture of anonymous characters, a nihilistic viewpoint has developed where lying and deceit have become standard operating procedure. All of the tools used by these Nihilistic Violent Extremist groups can be traced back to an anonymous online culture of duplicity. Innocent trolling with memes that point out hypocrisy have morphed into people playing characters online for hidden goals and purposes. These LARPers (Live Action Role Play) mask themselves in a character. This allows them to behave in deceitful ways without remorse or consequence as they are playing a character and their identity is anonymous. This concept of LARPing seems to have 'accelerated' in recent years as more and more, people have dropped the veil of anonymity, choosing to live in reality as the LARP they constructed.
No matter the probability of the possibilities discussed, Nihilistic Violent Extremist groups are a result of an abandoned segment of society that sees no value in reality. They are fueled by an accelerated tiered program of violence and control.
The How:The pernicious nature of these extremist groups often resides in their age. The perpetrators are often in the same peer group as their victims. The founders of the 764 group were 15 and 16 when they started their venture into creating and accumulating child sexual abuse material. The tactics used by groups like 764 and CVLT within the superset of The Com are disturbing.
The nihilistic predators find their victims in the open digital spaces. They target them through a tiered system of trust and exploitation, walking the victim through progressive steps toward ultimate violent ends. What starts with innocent or embarrassing progresses to abusive and illegal. Often the predators seek pornographic images or videos that they feed to their network for entertainment, but then turn back toward their victim for extortion and control. The process escalates from grooming to violent extorsion.
A recent federal case resulted in a guilty plea from a Florida 19 year old man for possession of child sexual abuse material. He had in his possession 8,300 videos and images of exploitation. He had a folder on his computer dedicated to videos and images of victims that carved his online handle into their skin. This is just one of many examples.
There are numerous federal cases where the tiered process of victimization led to bombing and murder attempts. The Department of Justice mentions nihilism, Satanism, and occult practices as the root philosophy or cause, but what is missed is the gamification of abuse. The predators become involved in a competition to create victims and earn "trophies". An ecosystem of abuse has been created where even the victims become wrapped up in the culture of the child sexual abuse material alternate reality game.
Solutions In Our Digital Reality:One solution is easy for parents: Actively engage and monitor your children's online participation and networks. Speak clearly to them about the dangers and markers to watch out for.
But honestly, that doesn't work. Kids from strong family structures is not what online groomers are looking for. These extremist groups prey on children without strong family structures. The core problem is at the intersection of privacy, digital anonymity, and children's rights. The core problem is our society. Good parents with strong family structures have looked away as the state gives rights to children to autonomously make health decisions. 13 years old has been designated as some quasi legal age for medical privacy and autonomous access to open internet platforms. More and more children are thrust into the role of mature decision maker in a world where predators have access to their spaces. In our modern digital age, the natural exploration of children within their peer group has been corrupted by the erosion of the bonds in our shared reality.
The base corruption of our economic and bureaucratic systems has led to a crisis in accountability. The bond of societal norms has been degraded as individual realities exist outside of a shared environment, both for the successful and the neglected. Are the nihilists winning? Have we lost meaning in our reality where a rules based society and common rights and wrongs have been obscured past the point of no return?
Accelerationists feed on a system of celebrity. Fame for the sake of fame regardless of right, wrong, or achievement. The constructed reality of fake celebrities has opened the door to this movement. As a society we must reject the constructs presented to us, and uplift those in our communities achieving meaningful contribution. Uplifting examples of local aspiration for good, and service to others, is one way we can stem the tide of the chaotic accelerationist's reality. Stable good parents must take on a larger role in society beyond their own family structure.
An independent journalist, named Bx is at the tip of the spear covering this modern phenomenon of online accelerationism. You can find her reports on X here.