Several young suspects, including minors as young as 14, have been arrested in Denmark and Sweden for their alleged role in a cross-border “violence-as-a-service” network.
The information was published in a press release by Europol this week, which announced that seven suspects aged between 14 and 26 had either been arrested or had surrendered to Danish authorities. According to Europol, the network recruited teenagers through social media to carry out contract killings in Denmark and Sweden using encrypted messaging apps.
“We are determined to prevent these attacks,” said Torben Svarrer, Chief Police Inspector at Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit.
“Let this serve as a warning to young people approached on social media with promises of easy money,” he added.
“Our investigations show the reality is far less lucrative than promised, and the consequences can be severe.”
Two 18-year-old men were arrested in Western Sweden and are suspected of actively recruiting young people to carry out targeted killings. Others are believed to have supplied weapons, ammunition, and safe houses.
According to Europol, the activity forms part of a growing Europe-wide trend known as “violence-as-a-service”, where social media is used to advertise and coordinate shootings-for-hire.
The organisation said that this increasingly puts minors at the heart of organised criminal activity.
“Teenagers being paid to pull the trigger – this is what organised crime looks like in 2025,” said Andy Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre.
“This is calculated outsourcing of murder by criminal networks that treat human lives as disposable assets,” he said.
“Through Europol’s OTF GRIMM, law enforcement is tracking down the masterminds and dismantling the infrastructure they hide behind. There is no safe haven – online or offline – for those who trade in violence.”
Europol noted that many of the suspects had operated internationally, with arrests taking place not only in Denmark and Sweden but also Morocco. The attacks were reportedly planned through encrypted platforms, with one attempted murder taking place in Kokkedal, Denmark, last month.
The arrests were carried out through Europol’s Operational Taskforce GRIMM, which was set up in April of this year to tackle the use of encrypted services to coordinate contract killings. Eight countries are currently involved in the taskforce: Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, withEuropol itself as a supporting agency.
“The criminal networks exploit social media to post contract offers for shootings,” said the Europol statement.
“At the same time, we must again stress the urgent need for platform owners to step up their self-monitoring and remove violent content,” said Theodor Smedius, Superintendent at Sweden’s National Operations Department.
“They have the technology to do this. When it comes to the safety of our children, both public authorities and private companies – including tech firms – must play on the same team,” he added.
Europol has urged parents and communities to remain alert for signs of gang recruitment, including sudden changes in behaviour or unexplained money or expensive possessions.
As part of its public awareness campaign, the agency has also developed a guide for families and schools on how to spot signs of manipulation and exploitation of minors.
The use of children in violent crime has become a major issue in Sweden in recent years. In January 2023, Gript reported that 80% of suspects arrested in Stockholm were minors, with some as young as 14 involved in gun crime.
Swedish authorities noted at the time that gangs were increasingly relying on children, in part because they received lighter sentences under Swedish law.
Fredrik Gårdareadded, a Swedish gang expert, said in 2023 that the growing use of child criminals was proving difficult for the justice system.
“Our justice system is not built for so many children to be involved in crime,” he said.
In recent years a spate of gang shootings and bombings across Stockholm – including grenade attacks and the murder of a known gang member on Christmas Day – have added to growing concerns in Sweden over organised crime and youth violence.