US national faces extradition from Greece over alleged link to online child abuse network

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THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A 21-year-old American man who allegedly helped run an online network that targeted children for acts of violence and sexual exploitation has been arrested in northern Greece on an international warrant, officials said Wednesday.

The suspect, identified by U.S. authorities as Leonidas Varagiannis, was arrested Tuesday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. An international arrest warrant and extradition request was filed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Varagiannis is accused of being involved in the U.S.-based criminal online group known as 764. According to U.S. authorities, the group coerced children into committing acts of violence and sexual abuse, which were recorded and distributed online.

A second man, identified as 20-year-old Prasan Nepal, was arrested on April 22 in North Carolina in connection with the same investigation, U.S. authorities said.

“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,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the network was designed “to exploit children and created a guide for the disgusting online content they wanted.”

Varagiannis, a resident of Thessaloniki, appeared Wednesday before an appellate prosecutor. He denied the allegations and formally opposed extradition, according to Greek judicial authorities and his lawyer.

“Throughout the period during which the alleged offenses 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, told The Associated Press.

The suspect will remain in custody until a court of appeals rules on the U.S. extradition request in the coming weeks. ___ Eric Tucker in Washington D.C. and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece contributed