MALMESBURY - The case against a 16-year-old Malmesbury teenager linked to an international child sexual abuse network has been postponed for a district surgeon's assessment.
The teenager appeared before the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court in the Western Cape on 11 charges, including sexual assault, child pornography, sexual exploitation, animal cruelty and issuing threats.
The arrest followed a joint intelligence operation involving international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, US Homeland Security and the Occult Unit.
READ | Part 2 | The dark web: A hidden marketplace for child abuse
Police confiscated the suspect's devices containing explicit images and videos depicting child sexual abuse and animal mutilation.
The intelligence operation is part of a crackdown on the violent online network commonly known as 764.
A 15-year-old Texan boy founded it in 2021, and it's known for targeting, blackmailing, and coercing minors into online sexual abuse.
They have also tortured and murdered animals and carried out other forms of harmful criminal activity, including stabbings.
The case will return to court on 20 August.