Iranian-backed networks are reportedly hiring child mercenaries from mostly immigrant community gangs in European nations such as Sweden and Norway to attack Israeli targets.
According to a report from Bloomberg, at least three incidents this year, including at attempted attack on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm by a 15-year-old, and two incidents at the facilities of the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg, one a shooting by a 13-year-old and a home-made bomb attempt by a 16-year-old, were all coordinated by agents loyal to the Islamist regime in Tehran.
Petter Nesser, senior research fellow with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), told the news outlet that Iranian affiliated agents use platforms such as Telegram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to recruit and direct criminals to carry out attacks on Israeli targets.
Prices range from around €1,500 ($1,560/£1,240) for a murder, while petrol bomb attacks can be bought for as little as €120, however, Nesser noted cheaper operations would “have the signs of an amateur.”
Although some mercenaries may have been motivated by animus towards Israel over the conflict in Gaza, many merely appear to have been in it for the pay day, with the Swedish Security Service noting earlier this year that “There are cases where the proxies aren’t aware or don’t realize that they are acting on behalf of a foreign power.”
Iran’s apparent interest in focusing on hiring children to carry out its dirty work comes amid a broader trend in Nordic nations of youths typically from migrant communities being used by criminal gangs.
Children are increasingly relied upon as anyone under the age of 15 in countries such as Sweden and Norway are not liable to be sent to prison. Both countries, however, are considering changing such laws in order to deter the use of children by gangs.
Earlier this year, the government of Denmark revealed that gangs in Copenhagen and other Danish cities have sought to import “child soldiers” from neighboring Sweden to carry out shootings and bombings in Denmark.
Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard remarked: “A conflict is taking place between people who are sitting in Iraq, Lebanon, Dubai, Turkey, and all sorts of other exciting places and taking a conflict with each other in the streets of Denmark with the help of Swedish henchmen.”
While Sweden was once one of the most peaceful nations in all of Europe, the country has been radically changed by mass migration, with one in five people in the country now being foreign born. This has coincided with the rise of gang crime, particularly from downtrodden immigration communities, with frequent shootings and bombings.
According to a report from the Swedish Police earlier this year, there are around 14,000 people in Sweden deemed to be active gang members, with a further 48,000 connected to the various criminal network groups.
In response to the failures of the open borders agenda, the Swedish people backed centrist-right coalition in 2022 which emphasized reducing immigration to the country. This year it is expected that more people will leave Sweden than enter it, with Iraqis, Syrians, and Somalis topping the list of groups leaving the country.