NEED TO KNOW
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Marek Cherkaoui, 21, is facing federal cyberstalking charges after two incidents in which he allegedly told a 13-year-old girl he would dox her if she did not cut herself
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He is allegedly part of a network of “nihilistic violent extremists,” which a criminal complaint defines as persons “who engage in criminal conduct … that derive primarily from a hatred of society”
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In another incident, Cherkaoui allegedly celebrated with members of his network when he incorrectly learned a woman he told to take her own life had done so
A New Jersey man who allegedly threatened women online in attempts to make them commit self-harm on multiple occasions is in federal custody.
Marek Cherkaoui, 21, is now facing cyberstalking charges after being arrested last week at his home in Egg Harbor Township, located approximately 10 miles west of Atlantic City.
Those charges stem from two incidents in which a 13-year-old girl allegedly cut herself multiple times after Cherkaoui threatened to dox her, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and obtained by PEOPLE.
The girl blocked Cherkaoui after she cut herself the first time, according to the complaint. Later, she posted that she had harmed herself because she feared how angry her parents might be had their house been doxed by strangers.
The complaint said that Cherkaoui then managed to get in contact with the girl and once again ordered her to cut herself, or be doxed.
He allegedly followed that up with a text which said: “”YOU NEED TО DO IT AGAIN. THIS TIME DO IT LIVE ON CAMERA.”
The girl said that she then clicked on a link which brought her to Cherkaoui’s channel — and proceeded to cut herself live on camera, according to the complaint.
After that second alleged incident, she told investigators that she closed all of her accounts so she could not have any contact with Cherkaoui.
Soon after, Cherkaoui allegedly doxed her by publishing the names of her family members and the addresses for her home and school, according to the complaint.
Cherkaoui is alleged to be part of a network of “nihilistic violent extremists,” which the complaint defines as persons “who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.”
The complaint accuses him of targeting one person after he found a post in which she spoke about being groomed and sexually harassed, which he allegedly responded to by writing: “YOU DESERVED IT HАHА… IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU FINALLY COMMIT [suicide].”
A short time later, he allegedly received word — which was later proven to be false — that this person had died by suicide, and reacted by writing to the network: “HEY GUYS IT LOOKS LIKE WE ACTUALLY KILLED A PERSON.”
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The complaint also accuses Cherkaoui of allegedly soliciting child sexual abuse material from minors and speaking about his desire to marry a 13-year-old girl.
It also alleges that Cherkaoui frequently voiced his disdain for minority groups, and spoke about attacking transgender people and, in one exchange, non-White children, saying: “Better for them to be removed when they’re young before they grow up and become a bigger problem …. They marginalized [i.e., minority] kids are a very good high-value soft target.”
Cherkaoui is currently being held at a facility in Philadelphia.
The count of cyberstalking a minor carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
Read the original article on People
