Parents warned as extremist online groups target Prairie children, police say
Police and a non-profit say they are seeing more children drawn into groups Canada listed as terrorist entities in December.
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Winnipeg police terrorism specialist Const. Andrea Lefort says some children drawn into online extremist groups are planning attacks, and she expects referrals to keep rising.
The groups, 764 and Maniac Murder Cult, were added to Canada's Criminal Code list of terrorist entities in December 2025. Public Safety Canada says Canada is the first country to list 764 as a terrorist entity.
Lefort says the groups groom, recruit, coerce and extort young victims through Roblox, Minecraft, Discord and Telegram. Victims are pushed toward self-harm, killing people or animals, and school shootings.
Michael King, deputy executive director of the Alberta-based Organization for the Prevention of Violence, says referrals to its Evolve program have grown exponentially over three years. Evolve counted 2 cases in 2024, 4 last year and 10 so far this year. Those numbers are not verified. Evolve has one case worker in Winnipeg and others across the Prairies.
No total figure exists for Prairie cases. The platforms and the listed groups did not respond to requests for comment.
How many Prairie children are currently involved, given that no total figure exists?
What are the platforms Roblox, Discord, Telegram and Minecraft doing about these groups?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
