18-Year-Old 'Chai' Sentenced to Over 10 Years for Violent Online Sect Crimes

An 18-year-old man known as "Chai," a leading figure in the violent online sect known as 764 or No Lives Matter, has been sentenced to ten years and six months in prison by Umeå District Court for a range of serious crimes. The court found him guilty of 76 offenses including six rapes, three attempted murders, five counts of aggravated animal cruelty, twelve severe child pornography offenses, and numerous other violent acts committed through manipulation of victims over the internet.

The defendant coerced victims, including minors, to self-harm and commit violent acts remotely, marking a unique case of distance violence. Notably, he orchestrated a violent knife attack in the Stockholm suburb of Hässelby last year, where a young sect member assaulted an older man. Victims spanned multiple countries including Germany and Australia, with damages ordered at approximately 1.8 million kronor.

Presiding judge Hans Sundberg described the case as unprecedented given the combination of sexual crimes facilitated online and violent offenses conducted through manipulation at a distance. Prosecutor Jenny Östling condemned the acts as committed "in a particularly ruthless manner," citing examples such as coercing a child to torture a pet and another victim to carve numbers into their skin. The defendant was acquitted on several charges including three counts of incitement to suicide. His defense attorney expressed surprise at the severity of the sentence.

Author and journalist Gustaf Tronarp, who has studied the sect extensively, warned that this sentence does not mark the end of violent online sect activities in Sweden. He emphasized the systematic nature of the sect's influence over minors and called attention to the significant but largely hidden scope of such groups, suggesting similar cases will likely surface in the future.

The court's decision also aims to deter further crimes committed by such extremist online sects exploiting vulnerable youth. Despite this conviction, experts agree the phenomenon of violent online sects like 764 remains a persistent and evolving threat in Swedish society.