The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that there’s been a near-500% rise in “Nihilistic Violent Extremism” arrests this year. Most of the cases involve “764,” a group of nihilistic predators who target children online.

“Important story – this FBI has seen an almost 500% increase in arrests associated with ‘Nihilistic Violent Extremism’ – often involving the violent 764 network who targets young children online,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in reaction to a The Daily Wire exclusive.

“This is among the most important issues in America and we won’t stop working,” he added.

Patel said there are more than 300 cases involving 764 nationwide, and there has been a 20% increase in arrests related to the group this year and an increase in child victims.

An indictment of a member of a “764” group in Baltimore detailed what the group does.

“Members of ‘764’ use known online social media communications platforms as mediums to support the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and child sex abuse material with vulnerable, juvenile populations,” read the indictment of 20-year-old charged with sexual exploitation in Maryland. “These individuals often conduct coordinated extortions of teenagers, blackmailing the victims to comply with the group’s demands.”

Nihilistic Violent Extremism is defined by law enforcement as individuals who are motivated to violence, mainly out of a hatred for society and a desire to see society collapse.

“This FBI is fully engaged in dismantling NVE networks and violent groups like 764 – who prey on young children using online platforms like gaming systems or social media,” Patel told The Daily Wire. “As we speak, we have over 300 cases nationwide related to 764 alone, with more to come, and have surged NVE-related arrests almost 5-fold from the year prior. We won’t stop until we get the job done.”

Deputy Director Dan Bongino added that saving children was “one of the first issues” that he and Patel “put a premium on addressing” when he joined the FBI.

“The scourge of 764 networks targeting children online is a deeply important issue in our country that not enough people are aware of,” Bongino said. “We are asking all parents to please be on guard – check in with your kids, report suspicious activity to law enforcement, and consider your options on monitoring your children’s internet usage to limit what these networks can reach. In the meantime, your FBI will be working day and night to crush this violent movement and bring them to justice.”

The man indicted from the Baltimore group persuaded three minor females to engage in sexually-explicit conduct and then transmitted it. He was also indicted on a cyberstalking charge. He faces up to 50 years in prison.

Nick DeGeorge, the supervisory special agent for the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, told WBAL-TV more about the network, including how it exploits victims.

THE CULTURE OF NIHILISM MUST BE DEFEATED

“They kind of recruit, groom them, and then have them (change) over to a more of an encrypted messaging platform, such as Discord, Telegram,” DeGeorge told the outlet. He added that victims can be as young as 10 and many hold learning disabilities or hold autism diagnoses.

Bongino advises parents to be vigilant and regularly check in on their children.

“We are asking all parents to please be on guard – check in with your kids, report suspicious activity to law enforcement, and consider your options on monitoring your children’s internet usage to limit what these networks can reach. In the meantime, your FBI will be working day and night to crush this violent movement and bring them to justice,” he told The Daily Wire.