A suspect identified as Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, was arrested in Thessaloniki for allegedly leading an online child exploitation group known as "764 Inferno". He denies the charges and opposes extradition to the US.
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A 21-year-old US citizen who was allegedly a major actor in an online network that targeted children for acts of violence and sexual exploitation is facing extradition after his arrest in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki earlier this week.
The suspect, identified by US authorities as Leonidas Varagiannis, is accused of playing a key role in a US-based criminal online group, which goes by the name 764, leading its core subgroup "764 Inferno".
According to the US Department of Justice, the group coerced children into committing acts of sexual abuse, which were recorded together with "gore and violent material" and distributed online.
Following his arrest, Varagiannis appeared before an appellate prosecutor on Wednesday. He denied the allegations and formally opposed extradition, according to Greek judicial authorities and his lawyer.
“Throughout the period during which the alleged offences took place, he was residing in Greece. Therefore, Greek law and courts have jurisdiction over the case, and his extradition is explicitly prohibited,” his lawyer Xanthippi Moysidou said.
Varagiannis will remain in custody until a court of appeals rules on the US extradition request in the coming weeks.
A second man, identified as 20-year-old Prasan Nepal, was also arrested in April in North Carolina in connection with the same investigation, reported authorities.
“These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered — a network built on terror, abuse, and the deliberate targeting of children,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
The US Department of Justice has labelled 764 as a “nihilistic violent extremist" network.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the network was designed “to exploit children and created a guide for the disgusting online content they wanted.”