Several young Luxembourg and French nationals are under investigation for criminal conspiracy and other serious charges related to a far-right virtual campaign targeting suspected paedophiles.

The Luxembourg prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday evening that several young Luxembourg and French nationals of legal age were being investigated for criminal conspiracy, carrying illegal weapons, and incitement to hatred. The alleged acts are linked to a virtual campaign by extreme right-wing sympathisers communicating via Telegram and TikTok, aimed at punishing adults suspected of being paedophiles after luring them into an ambush by means of virtual conversations with accounts of alleged minors.

In a statement, the prosecutor recalls that the presumption of innocence will be in place as long as the investigation is ongoing.

Background of the approach

The trap-setting method is reminiscent of the modus operandi of Maxim Martsinkevich, better known as Tesak, a Russian neo-Nazi activist and leader of the far-right organisations Format18 and Occupy Pedophilia, the latter of which he founded in 2013 and which violently attacked Russian homosexuals (and bisexuals) under the guise of fighting paedophilia.

Martsinkevich died in prison at the age of 36.