Teenager arrested in Brazil for torturing 200 cats on Discord

A 15-year-old teenager was apprehended in São Luís, Maranhão, suspected of torturing more than 200 cats during live broadcasts on the Discord platform. The operation, which involved the Maranhão Civil Police and the Federal Police, followed six months of monitoring by the Digital Observation and Analysis Nucleus (Noad) of the São Paulo Civil Police.

Investigations indicate the suspect would torture between five and six animals per night during these transmissions. In addition to animal cruelty, the teenager is being investigated for allegedly inducing victims to engage in self-harm. The suspect will be transferred to São Paulo to serve a court-ordered detention.

The case has highlighted delays in platform moderation. According to Noad reports, Discord has taken up to 17 days to respond to emergency requests for content removal involving crimes such as animal torture, incitement to suicide, and the leaking of intimate images of minors. One specific request to remove a room dedicated to killing cats reportedly took over 16 days to be addressed.