13-year-old student stabs teacher: online True Crime community under investigation

Investigations into the thirteen-year-old student who stabbed a teacher in Centocelle, Rome, are focusing on an international online community dedicated to "true crime." According to investigators, the boy allegedly received real-time instructions during the attack from users connected via a video call.

The video of the assault, circulated on the dark web and some social media platforms, shows the minor arriving at school wearing a military helmet, gloves, and carrying a knife. The Carabinieri are analyzing the young man's devices, where they found references to known attackers and Nazi symbols, as well as a t-shirt with the acronym Tmd (Total Muslim Death). The TikTok platform has already blocked the boy's account, which had thousands of followers.

The phenomenon of online communities dedicated to celebrating violent crimes, known as True Crime Communities (TCC), represents a worrying evolution in the distorted use of the internet. These international networks have gradually developed in recent years, exploiting social platforms and encrypted chats to exchange material about murders and massacres, sometimes glorifying the perpetrators of violence.

The origin of these communities can be traced back to the spread of traditional "true crime" content, which over time has attracted users with pathological tendencies. The situation deteriorated when some groups began organizing dangerous challenges and inciting acts of imitation, creating a circuit that amplifies violence. The case in Rome follows similarities with international incidents where perpetrators of assaults documented their preparation and attacks through live streaming, turning crime into a spectacle for a digital audience.