A 20-year-old German-Iranian man is facing 123 charges, including murder, rape, and the sexual abuse of children, over allegations that he led an international online network which drove minors to self-harm and suicide.
Hamburg prosecutors confirmed that further reports from concerned parents have emerged since the arrest of the suspect, identified as Shahriar J., who was detained in mid-June at his family home in Hamburg’s upscale Marienthal district. Authorities say investigations are ongoing and that additional victims may yet be identified.
The alleged offences, spanning two years between 2021 and 2023, include murder, attempted murder, sexual abuse of children, and rape.
The arrest followed an initial tip from the FBI regarding child pornography. Police went on to discover 85,000 files, including more than 600 videos, and extensive chat records referencing child torture. The accused is being held under strict security at a youth prison on the Hahnöfersand peninsula. “The offences are beyond human imagination,” Hamburg Public Prosecutor General Jörg Fröhlich said.
Police suspect the defendant may have led the international torture network “764,” which is classified as a terrorist organisation in the U.S. The network allegedly forced children and young people to self-harm and mutilate themselves for sexual purposes, with victims from Germany, the UK, the U.S., and Canada.
The case is complex because prosecutors must prove the defendant committed “murder in indirect perpetration,” meaning he committed a crime through another person while being the main perpetrator.
