Police: 'Nihilistic extremists' targeting young people in Utah

LOGAN — Police say they're seeing young people in Utah being targeted in what is a very concerning and growing trend in cybercrimes — where the online perpetrators aren't after money or access to personal data, but rather suffering.

"They believe that no one really matters," Utah State University police detective Tanner Hulse said. "And they don't really have morals. They don't really have beliefs. They just want to watch the world burn."

Hulse and Lt. Erik Christensen are both with the Utah State University Police Department, where they said they've seen students targeted, and at least one student suspected of being part of what are known as nihilistic extremist groups.

"Every FBI field office in the country is dealing with these things," Christensen said. "It's now kind of turned into this nihilistic thing where these people just don't care about each other. They don't have connections. Whatever it is that drives them, there's just a huge increase in them."

Christensen and Hulse said the groups are not centralized, and members come from all over the world, tied to movements like No Lives Matter, and 764. They say members will use information found on Google and other online sources to research their victims and make it sound like they are in their community, often targeting people who may be in emotional turmoil or feel isolated.

"Oftentimes they'll meet targets on online platforms such as Discord and Telegram. They'll begin by love-bombing, trying to gain some sort of connection with them," Hulse explained. "They're targeting specific people, learning about them. Once they gain that type of information, they use that as leverage to make it seem like it's more like a legitimate threat rather than just some random person on the internet."

Once victims feel trapped or that there's too much leverage against them, Hulse said they'll try to get them to harm themselves, increasing the stakes as they go.

"And if there's resistance, they'll dox them or they'll swat them. They'll stalk them and find out information about them," Hulse said. "With the end goal of ultimately committing some sort of atrocious act or, even ending their own life is oftentimes where their end goal is."

Still, Christensen and Hulse have presented what they've learned about the concerning trend in various community seminars, with the hope that people can better understand how to help others spot the perpetrators and simply walk away before they get too deep.

"Our biggest advice is just be careful, be mindful, keep an eye on each other, watch out for each other," Christensen said, adding that the trend is likely not going away anytime soon. "The battle is far from over. It's just beginning."

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