Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Indian Kashmir police: Five people were killed in the Indian Jammu region in attacks launched by Pakistan this morning.
Pakistani media: Pakistani spy planes arrive in New Delhi.
United States of America: US State Department: Secretary Rubio offered America's assistance in initiating constructive talks aimed at avoiding future conflicts.
United States: US State Department: Rubio continued to urge Pakistan and India to find ways to de-escalate tensions.
United States of America: US State Department: Secretary Marco Rubio spoke with the Pakistani Army Chief of Staff today.
Pakistan Army: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convenes National Command Authority meeting.
Powerful explosions in several India-administered Kashmir areas: AP
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Pakistan citing Pakistani sources: The Pakistani army targeted more than 20 Indian military sites.
Indian air operations are currently underway in Pakistan: Reuters citing an Indian military source.
Pakistani Army announces targeting of Pathankot and Udhampur airbases in India.

Sweden criminal gangs increasingly recruiting children for murder

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News Websites
  • 28 Nov 2024 12:25
4 Min Read

Children have become the focal recruits for gangs in Sweden to carry out murders and crimes while simultaneously avoiding criminal prosecution.

Listen
  • x
  • Police observe from a roof as people stand in line for the second dress rehearsal for the first semifinal at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, May 6, 2024. (AP)
    Police observe from a roof as people stand in line for the second dress rehearsal for the first semifinal at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, May 6, 2024. (AP)

Despair grows in Sweden as children are growingly recruited by criminal gangs across the country, instilling an insatiable thirst for killing among mostly troubled minors in exchange for negligible benefits.

Swedish police concluded an investigation of a year-old case in which an 11-year-old child exhibited his desire for murder, saying he "cannot wait for his first dead body," on Instagram. A 19-year-old contact then reportedly offered him 150,000 kronor, or $13,680 for a murder, along with some clothes and transport to the crime scene, in the Varmland province, AFP reported.  

The findings of the investigation charged four men, aged 18 to 20, with recruiting minors aged 11 to 17, to work for a local gang. All suspects were arrested before the crimes could be committed. 

This incident is not an isolated one. Sweden continues to grapple with a surge in gang-related shootings and bombings, driven by turf wars and disputes over the drug trade. Last year, 53 people were killed in shootings across Sweden, often in public spaces, with innocent bystanders increasingly among the victims.  

How gangs operate

Sweden’s gang crime is highly organized and sophisticated, with leaders operating from abroad through intermediaries who use encrypted platforms like Telegram, Snapchat, and Signal to recruit children under 15. 

Related News

European firms in China face 2025 US-China trade war pressures

Egypt, Qatar say Gaza mediation ongoing, 6 EU nations slam 'Israel'

"It is organised as a kind of (job) market where missions are published on discussion forums, and the people accepting the assignments are increasingly young," said Johan Olsson, head of the Swedish police's National Operations Department (NOA), during a press briefing last month.  

Assignments are subcontracted, with communication limited to online exchanges, explained Sven Granath, a criminology professor at Stockholm University, to AFP. Others recruit directly, targeting kids lingering in their neighborhoods. 

The number of murder-related cases in Sweden involving suspects under 15 has surged, rising from 31 in the first eight months of 2023 to 102 in the same period this year, according to the Prosecution Authority.  

Granath explains that these children are often struggling in school, dealing with addiction or attention deficit disorders, or already involved in minor crimes, and are recruited into conflicts they have no personal stake in, acting as mercenaries without previous gang affiliations.  

Some children actively seek out contracts, motivated by money, adrenaline, recognition, or a desire for belonging, according to a report by the National Council for Crime Prevention (BRA). Flashy clothing and promises of loyalty further lure them in.  

A record-breaking phenomenon

Former gang member Viktor Grewe, 25, accused "crimfluencers" on TikTok, who glamorize the criminal lifestyle, of promoting the phenomenon and attracting younger kids. Grewe, who left the crime life at 22, stated that most child recruits are aware that they would not make it past the age of 25. 

Criminal gangs in Sweden exploit young people ruthlessly, says Tony Quiroga, a police commander in Orebro, west of Stockholm. Gangs rely on subcontractors to avoid direct risks, using pseudonyms on social media and multiple layers of anonymity to distance themselves from crimes.

While police exert efforts to mitigate the rates of criminal recruitment, such as deploying volunteers in disadvantaged neighborhoods to warn the youth of the dangers of such conduct, the phenomenon remains heavily present across the country. 

Sweden, formerly recognized for its calm and law-abiding citizenry, has been afflicted by gun violence, explosives, and gang crime for many years. The country also broke the terrible European record for the most deadly shootings in a single year in 2022, outnumbering neighboring Nordic countries by a significant margin.

  • Europe
  • Sweden
  • gang violence

Most Read

Pro-Palestinian protesters march toward the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Washington (AP)

US House to vote on bill criminalizing boycott of 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 3 May 2025
Throughout Operation Prosperity Guardian, current and former US military and intelligence officials expressed disquiet at the enormous “cost offset” involved in battling Ansar Allah. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

Ansar Allah triumphant: US facing Red Sea defeat again

  • Opinion
  • 3 May 2025
Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu, senior Israeli official says

Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu: Israeli media

  • US & Canada
  • 9 May 2025
Pakistan downs an Indian jet and hits a military base in Kashmir escalation.

Pakistan downs 3 Indian jets, hits military base in Kashmir escalation

  • Politics
  • 7 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Bodies of some of the victims of an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, which killed at least 29 people, are transported from the scene to a hospital in Gaza City, May 7, 2025.(AP)
Politics

Israeli strikes massacre multiple families in Gaza, including infants

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, listening to French President Emmanuel Macron prior to a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Ludovic Marin, Pool Photo via AP)
Politics

Witkoff says JCPOA deal off the table, but broader Iran talks possible

screengrab
Politics

28th YAF ballistic missile sparks panic, mass sirens across Palestine

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV concelebrates Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Friday, May 9, 2025 (AP)
Politics

New pope criticized JD Vance and Trump before becoming Pope

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS