A global law enforcement effort has taken root to combat The Com, a sprawling nihilistic network of thousands of minors and young adults engaged in various forms of cybercrime, including physical violence and extortion.
Project Compass, an operation coordinated by Europol with support from 28 countries, including all members of the Five Eyes, has resulted in the arrest of 30 perpetrators since the initiative got underway in January 2025, authorities said in a news release Thursday.
Officials said sustained countermeasures have contributed to the full and partial identification of 179 perpetrators, while the operation has also safeguarded four victims and identified up to 62 victims.
The Com is splintered into three primary subsets with different objectives the FBI describes as Hacker Com, In Real Life Com and Extortion Com. Crimes attributed to group members have grown increasingly complex, with perpetrators going to great lengths to mask identities, hide financial transactions and launder money.
“These networks deliberately target children in the digital spaces where they feel most at ease,” Anna Sjöberg, head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, said in a statement.
Various branches of The Com have been linked to high-profile crimes over the past few years, and law enforcement has responded with heightened activity and interest in the group’s activities.
The Com is vast — many perpetrators remain at large and even more victims are still suffering and awaiting aid.
This growing global effort to thwart shifting crime trends with appropriate resources has built a foundation that will foster results beyond those achieved to date, said Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B.
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” she told CyberScoop. “The Com represents a major social problem impacting youth, and peoples’ expectations need to be realistic. These early numbers and ramping up effort over time is what success looks like and we need to encourage that.”
An effective police response to The Com requires a different way of thinking and retooling, “but it is more solvable than crime originating from hostile nations,” Nixon said.
Project Compass is built around an information-sharing network, which enables each of the partner nations to assist with investigations across various specialized units. Countries are also sharing advice for preventative measures and mobilizing data sprints to bring intelligence together for ongoing cases.
“Project Compass allows us to intervene earlier, safeguard victims and disrupt those who exploit vulnerability for extremist purposes,” Sjöberg said. “No country can address this threat alone — and through this cooperation, we are closing the gaps they try to hide in.”
Europol did not identify the 30 people arrested under Project Compass thus far. Yet, at least some of those cases are public.
Authorities during the past year have arrested multiple members of a Com offshoot known as 764, which is a growing online threat to coerce vulnerable children to produce child sexual abuse material of themselves, gor material, self mutilation, sibling abuse, animal abuses and other acts of violence.
Two alleged leaders of 764, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April.
Tony Christoper Long and Alexis Aldair Chavez both pleaded guilty late last year to multiple crimes linked to their involvement with the extremist group. Other alleged 764 members have been arrested in the United States more recently, including Erik Lee Madison and Aaron Corey.
