A Halifax youth who is facing several child pornography charges is allegedly a member of a violent online extremist group known as 764, according to police.
The group is known to target children and youth by manipulating them into recording and sharing intimate images or taking part in acts of self-harm, violence and animal cruelty.
Halifax Regional Police (HRP) Chief Don MacLean told reporters Tuesday that the youth communicated with “hundreds” of people worldwide, but no local victims have been identified at this stage of the investigation.
“At the time of the arrest, the youth was acting as a predator in a group called 764 … a subgroup of the Com (short for community) network, which is made up of people who glorify serious violence,” MacLean said.
“I urge all parents and guardians to pay close attention to this case.”
HRP and the RCMP’s Integrated Internet Child Exploitation Unit began an investigation in May, after being alerted by the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre in Ottawa.
The youth, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been released with conditions.
Nova Scotia’s Public Prosecution Service said the accused is a 16-year-old boy, and is facing charges of accessing, distributing, and possessing child pornography, as well as distributing obscene material and inciting hatred against identifiable groups.
Dave Boon, superintendent of HRP’s Integrated Criminal Investigation Division, said more charges may be laid as the investigation progresses.
“It could be on the same youth. It could be other individuals with information we’re sharing with partners,” he said.
When asked if there were indications this particular youth had been a victim of the online group, Boon said there was no evidence of that.
“But through the course of how this network works, victims can be groomed to then become a predator online,” he added.
Not typical sextortion
RCMP’s warning about violent online groups that exploit children states that members operate virtually on social media platforms, apps and online games such as Discord, Telegram, Roblox, Minecraft, Twitch and Steam.
Parents, guardians and adults are advised to watch for warning signs: children could be using encrypted communication, have a newfound interest in Nazism or occultism, or begin showing signs of wounds, cuts and changes in mood.
The warning signs also include pets being harmed.
RCMP Sgt. Danielle Pollock of the Internet Child Exploitation Unit said 764 is part of a larger community — or Com — whose purpose “is nothing more than cause chaos amongst other youth.”
“It works off of notoriety within the Com itself, that I was able to get X, Y, and Z to do this for me. And now that nude (image or video) is actually the commodity, not the money. It’s not typical sextortion for profit,” she said.
“Most of the time, it is just for notoriety or clout within itself.”
She added that the groups emerged around 2020 during the pandemic. Since then, reports of their activity have grown alarmingly.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, its CyberTipline received more than 1,300 reports connected to a violent online group in all of 2024.
The U.S.-based group says they’ve received 1,000 reports in the first six months of 2025 alone.
Their data shows that most of the victims were teen girls. Of the cases where age and gender were reported, 75 per cent were between the ages of 14 and 17; 21 per cent were aged 11 to 13, and four per cent were under 10.
In terms of gender, 84 per cent of victims were female.
RCMP and Halifax police are urging parents and guardians to be aware of what their children are doing on the internet.
“Parents need to be more vigilant, and times are different. Know that these relationships that these predators make online, they groom these children for months and manipulate them into doing what they want,” said Pollack.
MacLean added that he himself has an eight-year-old grandson who plays Roblox often, and he has to keep an eye on the activity.
“I make sure that I know what he’s doing,” said MacLean.
“Many of us can’t imagine our children being pulled into a world like this. But children and youth are vulnerable, especially those who struggle with isolation and our social connections in the real world, which many do at that age.”
Victims or those with information about online violent crime groups are asked to call local police or Crime Stoppers. Nova Scotia also has an intimate images and cyber protection support through the CyberScan Unit.