NBI uncovers ‘groomer’ network
‘It’s like an initiation, you will be promoted. You’re taught there’s this Bible verse that if you do it, you’ll be promoted.’
‘It’s like an initiation, you will be promoted. You’re taught there’s this Bible verse that if you do it, you’ll be promoted.’
The National Bureau of Investigation has identified a group of “groomers” who allegedly recruit minors to carry out violent acts, according to NBI director Melvin Matibag.
Matibag said NBI investigators were able to join a group chat used by groomers to target minors aged 12 to 19. He said the group chat eventually collapsed for an unknown reason.
The developed as the NBI continued to investigate the recent shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Junior High School, where a 14-year-old Grade 8 male student allegedly shot a 15-year-old Grade 10 student before turning the gun on himself.
The incident was documented through a Facebook Live broadcast.
The NBI, in coordination with Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, will meet with Meta on Thursday to seek help with the investigation.
Matibag estimated the group chat had around 1,000 members, mostly Filipinos, with a few members from other countries.
The group supposedly conducts an “initiation” that encourages members to commit violent acts, including making bombs, as well as other illegal activities.
“It’s like an initiation, you will be promoted. You’re taught there’s this Bible verse that if you do it, you’ll be promoted,” Matibag said.
“The thinking is that after you do the task and kill yourself, you’ll be elevated to sainthood. Something like that,” he said.
The NBI is looking into whether the group was connected to the AdZU shooting and other school-related incidents in the country.
The bureau will also profile individuals who shared the AdZU student’s video of the shooting.
Matibag said the live broadcast may have been intended to attract an audience, prompting investigators to identify those who were watching and sharing the footage and determine whether any of them might be members of the grooming network.
Initial investigation showed the AdZU student entered the school campus on 18 August with two firearms.
He allegedly shot the Grade 10 student inside Room 404 of the high school building, killing him instantly.
The shooter then ran to another floor while yelling before he turned the gun on himself.
