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The planned terror attack at Hadsten School was a single egregious example of a criminal case where, according to DR's information, the authorities suspect the perpetrators have ties to the sadistic NVE networks on the internet.
But now, Europol tells DR News in an interview that they have collaborated with Danish police in "dozens" of cases linked to these networks, where videos of assaults, self-harm, and, in the worst cases, school attacks are in extremely high demand.
- We have a very close cooperation with Denmark, says Anna Sjöberg, who is the head of Europol's counter-terrorism unit.
So Europol and Denmark work together on cases where victims and perpetrators are from Denmark?
- Yes, says Anna Sjöberg.
However, not all of the cases that Danish police have been involved in necessarily have a Danish victim or a Danish perpetrator. Anna Sjöberg will not answer exactly how many cases involve Danes.
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Should we be concerned in Denmark?
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Europol began to become aware of the development about three years ago. Anna Sjöberg also states that the threat posed by the NVE networks is only increasing.
- It is dangerous for the victims who are groomed in the groups, but it is also dangerous for society as a whole, says the Europol chief, referring to the fact that several of the NVE groups are designated as outright terrorist organizations.
In several places within the networks, school attacks are praised, for example, like the one we saw planned at Hadsten School.
Should we be concerned here in Denmark about this new phenomenon?
- Yes, all countries should be concerned, because it is a global phenomenon.
Anna Sjöberg tells DR that in less than a year, they have identified nearly 180 perpetrators and protected eight people from imminent threats to their lives.
Denmark, together with 30 other countries, is part of Europol's Project Compass, which aims to combat the NVE networks.
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'It destroys our youth'
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In the case from Hadsten, the police have stated that the three suspected teenagers have communicated on the platforms Discord and Telegram.
Platforms where the NVE networks thrive. Members are typically recruited from open groups, after which they are pressured in closed groups to share compromising content of themselves and others.
For example, it is very popular if you can get a victim to write their alias in blood on a wall or carve it into themselves.
But even though this is online crime that in the worst case ends with, for example, a school attack, the best defense is not necessarily technology.
- The best firewall against this is not technology. It is an educated youth, supported by adults. This has the potential to destabilize our entire society because it destroys our youth.
- And that is why it is so important that we, as a society, build resilience against this.
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Tip us
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P3 TV and DR Documentary are in the process of making a documentary about NVE groups, such as the online networks "The Com", "764", and similar groups. Do you have personal experience with this? Or do you know something? Then write to [email protected]. All inquiries will be treated confidentially.
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PET: Threat picture in the West characterized by more incidents with unclear ideology
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Neither the National Police nor the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) have wished to be interviewed, but PET writes in an email that they do not wish to comment on specific cases or partnership collaborations.
- In general, it can be stated that the threat picture in the West is increasingly characterized by extreme violent incidents that resemble terror, but where there is no clear ideological framework as a motive for the perpetrator, writes PET.
In addition, they have a targeted effort against extremism, including online extremism, which involves both removing extremist material from the internet, operational measures against groups and individuals, as well as a preventive effort.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.