The 15-year-old himself told police that he was a member of a cult. He is clear about what it has done to him:
"Reward, yes, from a lot of people. They respect me a lot - they think I'm an adult for that reason."
Several people in his network followed his live broadcast during the arson attack in Ängelholm in November last year and cheered on with calls to throw in more matches: "You're not done, you're not done."
The authority he gained afterwards meant that others then turned to him for advice and tips on how serious crimes can be committed, he told police.
“Causes terror”
He talks about several networks he was a part of, including one called 764. There he boasted about what he had accomplished: "I'm a kid who causes terror."
In Sweden, online movements such as 764 or the related "No Lives Matter" have previously been linked to several serious acts of violence committed by young people.
The collective term for such networks of young people focused on extremist violence is "violence-promoting misanthropy" (hatred of humanity). The perpetrators are young and commit unprovoked acts that are filmed and spread online.
Violence is the driving force
Säpo does not want to comment on how big an impact this type of movement has among young people in Sweden, but it is not so great that the overall terror threat level in Sweden is affected, according to the National Center for Terror Threat Assessment (NCT).
For a number of years now, we at the Security Service have pointed to a development where we see that ideological conviction may not be as strong as before in the traditional violence-prone environments, but rather that it is the violence itself that may be a driving force, Jonathan Svensson, press spokesperson at Säpo, said.
The boy is charged with arson, attempted arson, vandalism and child pornography. The trial will be held at Helsingborg District Court from June 9 to 17.
