The situation of gang crime in Sweden has become increasingly worrying in recent years. Violent clashes between rival groups – often involving firearms – occur regularly, especially in Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm. The perpetrators are increasingly younger and are hired as hitmen without any qualms.
Sweden has struggled in recent years to curb rising shootings and bombings by gangs across the country. The gangs fight for control of the drug market. They participate in gunfights and carry out attacks with homemade explosives.
The situation seems precarious in many places: in 2023, 53 people were killed in gun battles, including bystanders.
Gang leaders operate from abroad
The gangs are organized in a complex way: the gang leaders operate from abroad through intermediaries who then use encrypted courier services such as Telegram, Snapchat or Signal to recruit children and young people under the age of 15 who are not yet criminally liable. The people who take orders – such as at a market – are getting younger.
Recruitment through chat apps for kids
“Brother, I can’t wait to see my first corpse.” An eleven-year-old wrote this sentence on Instagram. The boy is one of the many victims of criminal gangs. They recruit children for contract killings via chat apps. “Stay motivated, it will happen,” a 19-year-old gang member replied to the boy.
Offered 13,000 euros for murder
Last December he offered the child 150,000 crowns (13,000 euros) for a murder, plus clothing and transport to the crime scene. This is evident from the investigation files of the police in the western province of Värmland. In this case, four men between the ages of 18 and 20 are accused of recruiting four minors between the ages of 11 and 17 to work for a criminal gang. All were arrested before the crimes could be committed.
The investigation files contain photos that the young people sent to each other. They pose with weapons, some with naked torsos. The 11-year-old said during interrogation that he wanted to appear “cool” and “not show his fear.”
On TikTok and Co. There are so-called ‘crime influencers’ who establish contact between clients and their ‘mercenaries’. Sometimes children from the immediate area are also approached. Often the chosen ones are children with addiction problems who have already come into conflict with the law and are looking for money and recognition.
Sense of belonging and adrenaline rush as motive
Some children even choose the job themselves because they are looking for money, an adrenaline rush, recognition or a sense of belonging, according to a report from the National Council for Crime Prevention. “Nowadays everyone wants to become a murderer,” says Viktor G., who managed to escape from a gang at the age of 22. The now 25-year-old had his first encounter with police when he was 13.
“It’s incredibly sad to see what these kids are striving for.” Tony Quiroga, a police officer in Örebro, 200 kilometers west of Stockholm, speaks of “unscrupulous exploitation of young people who are just starting their lives.” The gang leaders and middlemen “don’t want to take any risks themselves,” he says. “They hide behind pseudonyms on social networks and set up various filters between themselves and the young assassins.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
