Alleged Leader of Neo-Nazi Child Exploitation Network Faces Trial in Paris

A 29-year-old Indian national accused of heading a neo-Nazi online network that coerced underage girls into sexual acts and self-harm went on trial behind closed doors in Paris on Monday, in a case that has drawn attention to the dark intersections of extremism and child exploitation on social media.

Rohan Rane, who moved to France to study at a business school in the southeastern city of Antibes before working as a fitness coach, is described by investigators as the ringleader of the group. He was arrested in 2021 and appeared in the dock wearing a white T-shirt as proceedings opened at the Paris criminal court.

The charges against him include torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion and the dissemination of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The trial is scheduled to run through Friday.

According to investigators, the network operated primarily through the messaging platform Discord, where members communicated and coordinated their activities. The perpetrators are said to have been men from Germany, New Zealand and the United States who espoused racist and anti-Semitic ideology and expressed hostility toward feminists and the LGBTQ+ community.

The case first came to light in November 2020, when the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged online images of a 12-year-old girl with her chest exposed. In one of the images, another user was seen encouraging the child to carve the name "Rohan" into her body. That tip triggered a transnational investigation that would eventually stretch across multiple countries.

Prosecutors say the group, which referred to itself as CVLT, attracted vulnerable minors through Instagram and other social media platforms before luring them into a trap. Members would persuade the girls to send naked photographs, then threaten to publish the images or make false emergency calls to police in order to blackmail them into compliance.

Once trapped, the victims were allegedly forced into sexual acts against their will, sometimes involving knives, or ordered to carve the names of their tormentors or Nazi swastikas into their own skin. The group's members called themselves "warlords" and referred to their victims — often Jewish or Black girls — as "slaves" or "housewives."

The abuse extended beyond sexual exploitation. Investigators say the ring incited victims to take their own lives, encouraging them to drink bleach or strangle themselves with belts or leashes. The group is believed to have targeted mostly underage girls in countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Britain and Estonia.

A court document released by the US Department of Justice describes the internet-based group as espousing "neo-Nazism, nihilism, and paedophilia as its core principles." The ideological dimension of the case has raised concerns among experts about the growing overlap between extremist subcultures and online child exploitation networks.

Five American women, now aged between 18 and 21, have joined the proceedings as civil parties and were expected to testify by video link during the week. Their lawyer, Hippolyte Marquetty, argued unsuccessfully against holding the trial behind closed doors, saying his clients believed it was important to raise public awareness of the dangers teenage girls face on social media.

The Paris criminal court ordered the closed-door proceedings at the request of US authorities. The court cited the group's history of attempting to intimidate victims and witnesses, as well as threats directed at US prosecutors. It also noted that videos depicting the torture and humiliation of victims, many of them under the age of 15, were expected to be screened during the trial.

One member of the network — a 26-year-old US citizen — has already been sentenced in the United States for abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in 2021. His conviction in a separate national proceeding illustrates how the network's operations spanned multiple jurisdictions, complicating efforts to bring all those involved to justice.

The case has highlighted the challenges that law enforcement agencies face in pursuing criminals who operate across borders through encrypted or semi-private digital platforms. Child protection organisations have long warned that social media platforms can serve as hunting grounds for predators who exploit the anonymity and reach of the internet to identify and groom vulnerable young people.

For the five American women who have joined the case, the trial represents an opportunity to confront the man accused of orchestrating their abuse. Their decision to participate as civil parties, despite the sensitive nature of the evidence and the closed-door setting, underscores the lasting impact such crimes have on survivors.

The proceedings are expected to continue through the end of the week, with the court examining evidence gathered during a years-long international investigation. The outcome will be closely watched by authorities in several countries where victims were identified, as well as by advocacy groups campaigning for stronger safeguards for minors online.