Intel sources say Swedish teens are being used to target Israeli interests by Iran

> Sweden, known for having one of the world’s most generous social safety nets, and a strong culture of looking after vulnerable people, has become synonymous in recent years with [violent crime](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/05/europe/sweden-mass-shooting-orebro-explainer-intl/index.html) in Europe. It now has one of the highest gun crime rates on the continent, according to a [study](https://bra.se/english/publications/archive/2021-05-26-gun-homicide-in-sweden-and-other-european-countries) by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). > > Fears about the crisis have come to dominate the political landscape in Sweden, playing a role in the right-leaning [coalition](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/14/europe/swedish-right-election-intl/index.html) coming to power in 2022 on a promise to be tough on crime. The government has tightened immigration policies, enforced harsher sentences for gun crime and broadened police surveillance powers. The measures, critics say, have ignored the underlying issues driving gang warfare, like widening economic inequality and social segregation. > > In January alone, there were 33 gang-related explosions in Sweden – the highest monthly figure ever recorded in the country, according to a 2025 Swedish police report. In 2024, 30% of suspects in firearm-related murders were under 18, compared to around 20% in recent years, the same report said. > > Gun violence remained the most common cause of violent death in Sweden in 2024, but the country’s homicide and manslaughter rate dropped amid an increase in surveillance, according to [statistics](https://bra.se/nyheter/arkiv/2025-03-31-92-fall-av-dodligt-vald-under-2024) released by Brå in March. > > ### The number of youths in Sweden suspected of weapons offenses rose seven-fold in a decade > > The share of 15- to 17-year-olds among people suspected of illegal possession of a pistol or automatic weapon in Sweden increased from 5% in 2012 to 11% in 2022. > > **Number of people suspected of weapons offenses in Sweden** > > > > ### Source: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention > > > > > > “It is a national disaster,” John Forsberg, superintendent of the Swedish National Police, told CNN, adding that kids are now crossing borders to carry out crimes making it a Europe-wide problem. > > Gangs often entice children and teenagers with expensive items, initially assigning seemingly innocuous tasks that then escalate over time. “They are blinded by the hunt for money and status and materialistic things. They are obsessed with the thought of having cash to go and buy clothes with,” said Luay Mohageb, a former Swedish police interrogator who has worked on multiple cases involving children in gangs. > > But other personal and socio-economic drivers are also at play. Factors include seeking belonging, status, and financial gain – especially when legitimate opportunities are scarce. > > “You need to see the root of the problem,” Rene Lobos, a former gang member who now helps children get out of gangs, told CNN, adding that young people “are so insecure in who they are, they don't have role models when they grow up.” Being part of these gangs, he said, gives them a sense of community. > > [A White man with a brown goatee looks at the camera wearing a black coat with a fur-lined hood, on a snow-covered street.](https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2025/world/media/images/s_D257D68311319BDFFE9291892F6D9D8F183ABA7B387921A3B14552F3B84548A5_1743588697647_Renee.jpg) > > Rene Lobos, a former gang member, works with children to help them get out of criminal life. Alex Platt, CNN > > > > > > > > The mother of the 15-year-old who was arrested on his way to the Israeli embassy in Stockholm in May 2024 told authorities that she believed her son was being taken advantage of. She said that older people he spent time with, who might have been behind getting him the “job,” acted as his “big brothers,” protecting and supporting him – and making him feel safe. > > Criminal networks strategically recruit teenagers, as they are not only easier to manipulate but are also given lighter sentences, according to security experts CNN spoke with. In Sweden, children under 15 cannot be held legally responsible for crimes, while those between 15 and 18 are typically referred to social welfare authorities rather than sentenced to prison. > > Swedish prosecutor Lisa dos Santos told CNN that the use of minors enables more senior gang members to evade law enforcement. “They lack connection to both target and gang leader who wants the assignment done. It makes it harder to trace.” > > Experts say Foxtrot, one of Sweden’s most feared gangs, has fueled the surge in violence playing out on Sweden’s streets, using teenagers to carry out crimes. The gang wars worsened in 2023 when Foxtrot’s leader, Rawa Majid, launched a feud with former ally, Ismail Abdo, who became leader of the rival gang known as Rumba. > > ### Iran is using Swedish gangs and the teenagers recruited by them as proxies, Swedish security services say > > ### Source: Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) sources > > > > > > Both men are wanted for multiple charges, including gross narcotics offenses, according to Interpol Red Notices for their arrest. Majid faces charges of instigating murder, and Abdo faces charges of instigating attempted murder. > > The [US Treasury Department](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0047) recently sanctioned Foxtrot and its leader Majid, who it said was cooperating with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). It accused the gang of orchestrating attacks on Israelis and Jews in Europe on behalf of Iran, including the January 2024 attempted attack on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, adding that the group “routinely uses teenagers.” > > Announcing the sanctions in early March, the Treasury said that the Iranian regime had increasingly used criminal networks as proxies. “Iran’s brazen use of transnational criminal organizations and narcotics traffickers underscores the regime’s attempts to achieve its aims through any means, with no regard for the cost to communities across Europe,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. > > Majid left Sweden in April 2019 and has since been based in Sulaymaniyah, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq, according to Swedish police files related to an investigation into the gang leader. The files indicate he has continued to communicate with criminal associates and oversee operations via encrypted chats often using the alias “Foxkurdish” in reference to his nickname, the Kurdish Fox. > > “Iran has a lot of influence in Iraqi Kurdistan,” Saeed Ghasseminejad, a senior advisor on Iran at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, said, explaining why Iran might recruit Majid. Cooperation between the Iranian regime and Iraqi Kurds grew during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war that ended in 1988, he added. > > Abdo’s whereabouts remain unclear but there were local reports in May 2024 of his arrest in Turkey’s southern Adana province and subsequent release on bail. > > Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency alleged last year that both Majid and Abdo were working with Iran and blamed their gangs for attempted attacks on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, according to [Israeli media reports](https://www.timesofisrael.com/mossad-iran-backed-criminal-networks-behind-attacks-on-israeli-embassies-in-europe/). > > CNN reached out to Mossad for more information about its claims and for comment on this report but has not received a response. > > ## Gamification of gang warfare > > The gangs are increasingly turning to online platforms to recruit youths, offering them money in exchange for targeted killings. > > Dos Santos said criminal tasks are posted on a variety of public platforms, including Snapchat and Instagram. Those interested are often asked to message the person ordering the hit privately, she said. Then, they are included in private groups on encrypted platforms such as Signal and Zangi messenger. > > [Justice ministers](https://www.justitsministeriet.dk/pressemeddelelse/nordiske-justitsministre-i-faelles-opraab-til-techgiganter-der-skal-ryddes-op/) from Sweden, Denmark, and other Nordic nations met with representatives from Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat in December to discuss how the platforms would stop gangs from using their services to recruit young people. The four companies have been collaborating under TechSverige (TechSweden) to establish a Nordic knowledge-sharing forum aimed at tackling the issue, though Snapchat told CNN it had not seen “clear signs of gang recruitment” on its platform. > > Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said at the time that "more concrete action” must be taken to ensure digital platforms don’t facilitate violent crimes. He also criticized Signal and Telegram for failing to attend the meeting. > > ***(continues in next comment)***