Lethbridge teen charged with terrorism offences linked to ‘764’ network

CALGARY — A 17-year-old Lethbridge youth is facing terrorism, child sexual exploitation and animal cruelty charges in a case highlighting an emerging form of online extremism targeting young people.RCMP arrested the youth in Lethbridge on Sept. 3 following an investigation into activity on Discord that police allege was consistent with the international online network known as “764.”The accused, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces several Criminal Code charges, including participation in the activity of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity and committing an offence for the benefit of a terrorist group.The youth is also charged with possessing and distributing child sexual abuse and exploitation material and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.According to Global News, the investigation began after Lethbridge Police Service provided information to the RCMP. The case was subsequently investigated by the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. Police have not released details about the specific acts allegedly committed by the teenager, citing the ongoing investigation and court proceedings.The case differs significantly from the conventional image of a terrorist organization with defined leadership, political objectives and a formal membership structure..Canada adds four groups to federal terrorist entities list.Public Safety Canada describes 764 as a decentralized, transnational network of online “nihilistic violent extremists” rooted in misanthropy and nihilism. The federal government says participants seek to create violence and chaos rather than achieve a conventional political or territorial objective.Canada officially added 764 to its list of terrorist entities on December 8, 2025, alongside the Maniac Murder Cult, Terrorgram Collective and Islamic State-Mozambique.Authorities say the network operates largely through the same digital spaces used by millions of young people.According to RCMP, individuals associated with 764 have used social media, messaging services and gaming platforms including Discord, Telegram, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Roblox, Steam and Minecraft to encounter and communicate with youth.Public Safety Canada says members lure, groom and extort young people into committing sexual or violent acts, including self-harm. The government says violence can also be used within the network to gain status or notoriety.The decentralized nature of the network can also complicate the distinction between recruitment and victimization.RCMP Supt. Matt Johnson told Global News that investigators have encountered young people who may themselves have initially been victimized before becoming involved in targeting others.Police say some of the children targeted by the network are between ten and 14 years old. Investigators have also observed cases that may previously have appeared to be conventional child exploitation before authorities identified extremist elements connecting them to a broader network.“We have seen a massive spike in these types of investigations, specifically related to the 764 space or nihilistic violent extremism,” Johnson said.The Lethbridge investigation is not the first Alberta case authorities have connected to the network..BRULOTTE: CBC's 9/11 ‘terrorism’ debacle exposes the West's dangerous inability to name evil.Another 15-year-old from the Edmonton area was arrested in 2025 after investigators alleged the teenager was planning offences connected to 764.The cases come as Canadian authorities increasingly confront the overlap between conventional crime, online exploitation and extremism.Public Safety Canada has acknowledged that terrorism is evolving alongside online radicalization and the intersection between terrorism and other criminal activity. Under Canada's terrorist-listing regime, knowingly participating in or contributing to the activity of a terrorist group can constitute an offence when done for the purpose of enhancing the group's ability to facilitate or carry out terrorist activity.RCMP are urging parents and caregivers to become familiar with the platforms children use and maintain communication about their online activity.Johnson said digital literacy among parents and caregivers can play an important role in reducing the risk posed by online predators and extremist networks.The Lethbridge teen is scheduled to appear in Alberta Court of Justice on October 14.

Lethbridge teen charged with terrorism offences linked to ‘764’ network

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