Cross-Border Online Radicalization Among Teenagers: Evidence From a Brazilian Case Study

This article examines the theme of transnationality in online radicalization processes through an empirical case. It focuses on a group called ‘The Kiss’, led by a Portuguese teenager (Micazz) who encouraged individuals to carry out acts of violence in Brazil in 2023. The study sought to answer the following question: What can The Kiss case reveal about the transnationalization of online radicalization processes? To address this question, we conducted a qualitative study, combining semi-structured interviews with three police officers who took an active part in the investigations into The Kiss digital community, together with official information from the criminal case in Portugal. The results show that the community operated across multiple digital platforms (Discord, Telegram, Facebook, TikTok, Mega, and Instagram), forming an interconnected ecosystem for the practice of violence, with particular emphasis on school attacks, encouragement of self-harm, cruelty toward animals, and the sale of child sexual content. The characteristics observed provide empirical evidence that reinforces findings from literature on the third generation of radicalization.