A 26-year-old former British school actor, Declan George Candiani, was apprehended by counter-terrorism authorities at Stansted Airport while trying to vacation in Finland with his girlfriend. Upon inspecting his phone, law enforcement officers detained him and conducted a search of his residence in Streatham, London. Subsequent investigation of his electronic devices unveiled a substantial collection of extremist materials, including writings of mass murderers and content associated with the satanic group Order of Nine Angles (O9A).
The O9A, which originated as a marginal faction in the 1970s, has evolved into a decentralized extremist network with followers worldwide. Combining neo-Nazi ideologies of racial supremacy with peculiar occult and satanic symbols, the group reveres infamous serial killers like Ian Brady for their embrace of violence.
Members of O9A advocate for the eradication of concepts like racial equality, human rights, and democracy, which they view as hindrances to Aryan dominance over the world and beyond. They believe in achieving this through rituals, sexual exploitation, and actions intended to incite chaos.
Declan George Candiani, deeply immersed in neo-Nazi and occult radicalism, adorned his body with Adolf Hitler insignias, consumed media focused on mass shootings, and acquired instructions for crafting a firearm from sheet metal. Among the materials discovered on his devices was a detailed guide on executing a close-range “assassination” utilizing various tools.
During police questioning at Stansted Airport, Candiani admitted to delving into O9A-related content that sparked his interest. In court testimony, he recounted an encounter with a “red-horned devil” in his bedroom, claiming to have made a pact with the entity. Consequently, Candiani was convicted on two charges of possessing terrorism-related information and received a combined sentence of 23 months’ imprisonment with one year on license for one charge and 10 months’ imprisonment with a year on license for the other, to be served concurrently.
Another individual with ties to O9A, Vincent Charlton, was sentenced to over two years in prison in 2023 for terrorism offenses and possessing videos depicting a girl self-harming at his behest. Charlton promoted O9A online and contributed to a group connected to the O9A offshoot 764, where he shared bomb-making manuals and expressed intentions to attack a school.
Richard Densmore, a member of O9A and 764 from Kaleva, Michigan, received a 30-year prison term in the U.S. for exploiting a child sexually. Operating under the moniker ‘Rabid’, Densmore established online communities that encouraged children to engage in self-harm and explicit acts. He coerced victims into destructive behavior by leveraging personal information and threats.
Additionally, Alan Filion, aged 18, was sentenced to four years in prison for perpetrating numerous threatening phone calls and hoax bomb threats targeting various institutions and individuals across the U.S. Filion’s actions triggered substantial emergency responses, wasting valuable resources and causing disruptions.
Lastly, Brandon Alonso, a 17-year-old student, live-streamed a violent hammer assault on classmates in Mexico, pledging allegiance to O9A and sharing content associated with neo-Nazism on social media. These individuals’ connections to the extremist group highlight the global reach and concerning influence of organizations like O9A.