A 21-year-old man has gone on trial in Hamburg, charged with committing multiple crimes online, including coercing a 13-year-old to die by suicide on the internet.
The man, who used the pseudonym White Tiger, is believed to have been a prominent figure in a group of international cyber-criminals known as "764".
He is accused of grooming children and young teenagers between the ages of 11 and 15 to commit acts of violence against themselves online.
The authorities say White Tiger's victims came from Germany, the UK, Canada and the US but his lawyer described the allegations are baseless and fabricated.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described the "764" group as an international child exploitation enterprise and a "network of nihilistic violent extremists". It also made a number of arrests.
