A CNN investigation revealed that Iran is using criminal networks in Sweden to recruit teenagers as young as 14 to carry out attacks against Israeli interests, from acts of vandalism and bombings to contract murder.
Some of the discussions uncovered by the investigation include messages saying things like "we need loads of shooters, jobs in all of Sweden", "shooter needed for Denmark shoot to the head", and offers of "$150,000.” Along with Sweden’s security service agency SÄPO, CNN revealed plots such as murder and attempts to stage a terrorist attack against the Israeli embassy in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm.
The investigation also reported that a shooting at the Israeli embassy in 2024 was carried out by a 14-year-old boy, who fired several shots at the building at 2 AM using a 9mm semi-automatic pistol before Swedish authorities caught him.
A 15-year-old boy who attempted to attack the embassy before the 14-year-old boy but was arrested on the final leg of his journey was convicted of a serious weapons offense. He was ordered to spend 11 months at a juvenile care home. The 14-year-old suspect was never prosecuted because he was underage.
CNN also revealed text messages between the 15-year-old and an unknown person who provided him with instructions on how to carry out the hit against the Israeli embassy. Some of the messages uncovered include “Tell me when you in taxi,“ “Take the gun quickly,“ and “Load it and conceal it.“
Security experts told CNN that criminal networks in Sweden recruit teenagers because they are not only easier to manipulate, but they are also given lighter sentences once they’re caught.
Children under 15 in Sweden cannot be legally held responsible for crimes they committed, while those between 15 and 18 are typically referred to social welfare authorities rather than sent to prison. Senior gang members are also incentivized to use minors to evade law enforcement agencies.
“They lack connection to both target and gang leader who wants the assignment done. It makes it harder to trace,“ Swedish prosecutor Lisa dos Santos said.
Swedish police said the attack is just one of several attempted attacks targeting the Israeli embassy, with sources from SÄPO arguing they were carried out by criminal gangs acting on behalf of the Iranian regime.
The security service agency warned last year that Iran is using Sweden’s criminal networks, often dominated by gangs such as Foxtrot and Rumba, to do its bidding and expand its conflict with Israel, but did not provide further details.
A source from SÄPO told CNN that rival gangs Foxtrot and Rumba plotted several attacks against the Israeli embassy at the behest of the Iranian regime last year. Most of these plots reviewed by the CNN involved suspects below the age of 18, complicating the problem of gang violence in the country.
“It becomes a problem for us when it's another state like Iran that uses these kids as a proxy,“ Fredrik Hallström, head of operations at SÄPO, told CNN. “Organized crime in Sweden right now is a huge vulnerability that is being used by state actors.“
“After the 7th of October, we saw this type of modus operandi,“ Hallström added, referring to the Hamas-led attacks against Israel that claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis and sparked a deadly war in the Gaza Strip.
After the report was published, Iran’s embassy in Sweden vehemently denied the allegations, saying Tehran “firmly rejects any involvement in such actions. " It added that it was ready to investigate the claims, but “no substantial proof has ever been provided.“
They added that the “inhumane“ accusations were aimed at “tarnishing the reputation of the Islamic Republic of Iran“ and its relations with other countries, especially in Europe.
“Behind these accusations lie the Zionist regime and anti-Iranian circles,“ they claimed.
