In a Stockholm suburb last February, an 18-year-old gunman dressed in black fired a handgun at a 20-year-old student, Murad Abdelkader, as he walked home from a shift at McDonald’s. The attacker shot repeatedly, finishing with a final bullet to the head.

Police later identified the killer as Atilla Azimov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting he had targeted the wrong man.

Investigators say the attack reflects a wider pattern across Europe in which organised crime groups recruit teenagers to carry out killings for payment, in a system authorities describe as “violence as a service”.

Teenagers Recruited for killings

Since 2022, the Foxtrot Network is believed to have been behind around 35 murders, along with other attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli targets in Europe. Authorities say two of the incidents involved explosives and hand grenades.

According to Europol’s Operational Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM, teenagers are recruited through social media and then given instructions in a “gamified” format, designed to imitate how computer games work.

Andy Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious and Organised Crime Centre, described the approach as the calculated outsourcing of murder to vulnerable young people. OTF GRIMM is currently operating across 11 countries affected by the VaaS model: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Rawa Majid, leader of the Foxtrot network, is pictured with Ali Shehad Ahmed, who is believed to be a member of the criminal organisation. Picture courtesy of BBC

Europol and partner forces have linked the Foxtrot Network to Iranian connections. The gang’s leader, Rawa Majid, fled Sweden, later leaving a base in Turkey and relocating to Tehran. The UK government sanctioned Foxtrot and Majid in April 2025.

Police believe some VaaS attacks have been carried out for the Iranian regime, including a hand grenade attack on the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen, while others are linked to Foxtrot’s internal drug-related rivalries.

The Natland case shows how it worked

The recruitment model is illustrated by the case of Johannes Natland, a Norwegian teenager convicted by a jury at London’s Old Bailey on Wednesday of conspiracy to murder.

Swedish police said Natland had flown to carry out a Foxtrot hit near Huddersfield, in England, after being recruited online. Investigators said Natland met other teenagers in a children’s home in Stavanger, and a series of online contacts passed instructions and logistical support.

One account, “UnknownHustler”, initially asked Natland to carry out the killing in England for a price equivalent to about £21,000. Another user, “Generalen”, later recruited him, and Natland was then handed on to a Foxtrot member using the username “Agent 47”, drawn from the Hitman game series. Swedish police have accused Ali Shehad Ahmed, close to Majid, of being Agent 47.

Agent 47 booked Natland’s one-way travel to Manchester Airport and helped him obtain an emergency passport. Using the messaging app Signal, the contact guided Natland through his journey before handing him to a logistics figure described only by the username “1”.

Investigators say “1” sent maps and videos showing where guns were hidden in woodland near Huddersfield, along with instructions on where to find cash hidden near a foot tunnel. Natland was then arrested the next morning. Police said he had not been told in advance who he was meant to kill, and investigators are still determining whether the plot was purely criminal or carried out for political purposes tied to Iran.

Arrests, sanctions and an ongoing threat

Swedish investigative journalist Diamant Salihu, who has reported on Foxtrot and its Iranian links for three years, said the network is ordered to attack targets described as enemies of the regime. He said those can include dissidents, journalists and Israeli targets.

OTF GRIMM says arrests across the VaaS network have continued since it was set up 15 months ago, with more than 280 arrests made, including several key suspects.

One of the most important was Ahmed, whom authorities think acted as Agent 47. He was detained in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq and is subject to an extradition request to Sweden.

In May, Mohamed “Moewgli” Mohdhi, described by Swedish police as a “central actor” in Foxtrot, was arrested in Tunisia. Majid himself remains at large in Iran.

Other groups are also reported to have adopted the model, including the Dalen Network, meaning the danger is still present even if some arrests have disrupted Foxtrot’s operations.

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2 August 2026

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Atilla Azimov

Imagine having to go through your whole life...

"no no no attila with only one t and two l's" 🤭

This is what happens when you name your Russian-Swedish son after Attila the Hun who was exceptionally violent, even by the brutal standards of the ancient world....

And he grows a pencil mustache ❓

It all makes sense now. 🫪

Edited August 1Aug 1 by SiSePuede419
one t and two l's

An Iranian backed assassination group in Europe .

His pals were named Adolf Bradbury and Ghengis Wells.

Nothing new about recruiting young. Any older and they can think for themselves, and not impressed with gangsters. Just the economics of being a criminal, that can be a draw if older, but one does have to look in the mirror once in a while.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Since 2022, the Foxtrot Network is believed to have been behind around 35 murders, along with other attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli targets in Europe.

So we have to thank the Israelis for this pleasure. Thank you Mr Netanyahu for bringing murder to Europe as far as Sweden. Good job.

A post with off topic deflection tactics about Phuket and Samui and a reply has been removed.

3 hours ago, Cameroni said:

So we have to thank the Israelis for this pleasure. Thank you Mr Netanyahu for bringing murder to Europe as far as Sweden. Good job.

This has nothing to do with Israel. The same organized crime groups are active in Canada and the USA. They are a murder for hire enterprise and they target anyone. The RCMP and FBI have released multiple statements on this.

Why is the victim identified as Israeli? Are all 35 known targets Israeli? Let's see evidence of that.

I doubt it. I also doubt Iran is behind it, though the villains are Iranian. Teens are regularly used as drug mules, prostitutes aso.

Not how the group recruited from UK care homes, just like the rape gangs.

And how are the targets picked, for what reason, debts, drugs? It's a stretch to think it's due to nationality. Crime is crime.

Modern police are similarly gamified. Ever look inside a modern police car? Young people, including police, who grew up on videogames are given the attitude that you can shoot someone, they get up and you move up to the next level.

Except a real human lies dead.

34 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Why is the victim identified as Israeli?

Where in the article as posted by Webfact is the victims nationality named ?

2 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Why is the victim identified as Israeli? Are all 35 known targets Israeli? Let's see evidence of that.

The victim isn't identified as Israeli , its just you seeing Israel and Israelis everywhere you go .

You now even see Israeli written when its not even there .

12 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Atilla Azimov

Imagine having to go through your whole life...

"no no no attila with only one t and two l's" 🤭

This is what happens when you name your Russian-Swedish son after Attila the Hun who was exceptionally violent, even by the brutal standards of the ancient world....

And he grows a pencil mustache ❓

It all makes sense now. 🫪

One "t" and two "l's" is a very common spelling in Hungary.

6 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Where in the article as posted by Webfact is the victims nationality named ?

From the name, the vic was not Israeli--killer got the wrong guy. But...

"35 murders, along with other attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli targets in Europe". Are only Israelis being targeted.

4 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

One "t" and two "l's" is a very common spelling in Hungary.

4 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

One "t" and two "l's" is a very common spelling in Hungary.

Do you presume he is a Norwegian with a Hungarian heritage?

3 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Do you presume he is a Norwegian with a Hungarian heritage?

I have no idea, I was just correcting the person who thought they knew how it should be spelled when they were wrong.

No other comment.

5 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

From the name, the vic was not Israeli--killer got the wrong guy. But...

"35 murders, along with other attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli targets in Europe". Are only Israelis being targeted.

I"ll go and read the story for you and tell you what's written in the OP .

Wait there............................

Here

"said the network is ordered to attack targets described as enemies of the regime. He said those can include dissidents, journalists and Israeli targets."

22 hours ago, Cameroni said:

So we have to thank the Israelis for this pleasure. Thank you Mr Netanyahu for bringing murder to Europe as far as Sweden. Good job.

How is Netanyahu responsible for bringing the Foxtrot network to Europe? There have been Kurdish criminal gangs in Sweden since at least the 1970s. With the backing of Iran, one of these gangs has expanded from local drug dealing to transnational murder for hire.

Jews and Jewish institutions have been the targets a few times, but the Foxtrot killers aren't exclusively focused on Israelis and Jews. Even before former leader Ayatollah Khomeini announced a million-dollar reward for any Muslim who killed Salman Rushdie, the Islamist government had put bounties on the heads of opponents and dissidents and continues to do so to this day.

Governments around the world have identified Iranian intelligence operatives and limited their actions, so the Iranian leadership has to turn to alternatives like the Foxtrot network and teenage assassins to carry out its policies.

Muslims doing their duty against non believers in Islam.

Luckily there's Greta for them.

Little stats:

Ages 15–17: Record numbers suspected in murder investigations. In 2024 there were 395 such youths (involving completed murder, attempts, preparation, aiding, etc.), up from just 16 in 2013. Roughly one in four people charged in murder-related cases in 2024 was in this age group.

Under 15: Extremely sharp rise. Examples include at least 127 children under 15 suspected in murder plans/cases in (parts of) 2025, compared with 14 in 2022. Earlier figures showed 93 under-15s in the first half of one recent year (vs. 26 the prior year) and rapid multiplications year-over-year.

If you have swedish friends you can ask what on earth is wrong with their youngsters 😉. Are Per, Nils and Otto eating too much Surströmming?

3 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

There have been Kurdish criminal gangs in Sweden since at least the 1970s.

But in the 1970s these Kurdish gangs were not used to attack Israeli targets in Europe, now Foxtrot is explicitly directed to kill Israeli targets in Europe. So you think this has nothing to do with Netanyahu's foreign policy? Seems a bit naive.

According to Western, Swedish (SÄPO), and Israeli (Mossad) intelligence investigations, Iran provided Foxtrot with a comprehensive continental "target catalog" specifically focused on Israeli and Jewish entities. The documented targets and operations include:

Diplomatic Missions & Embassies

• Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden: Targeted multiple times, including a January 2024 attack where a live grenade was found on the compound, and subsequent plots involving firearms and explosives.

• Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark: Targeted in October 2024 with a hand grenade attack and coordinated explosions near the embassy compound.

• Israeli Embassy in Brussels, Belgium: Targeted in May 2024 when a Foxtrot operative threw airsoft grenades into the embassy courtyard.

✡️ Jewish Community Infrastructure

• Synagogues: Flagged across Europe in the network's targeting directives for arson, vandalism, or explosive attacks.

• Jewish Community Centers & Facilities: Monitored and listed for active disruption and assault.

👥 Strategic Personnel & Citizens

• Israeli Citizens (Assassinations & Kidnappings): The network's blueprint details directives for the targeted kidnapping and targeted killing of Israeli nationals living in or visiting Europe.

• Israeli Government Representatives: Delegates and envoys traveling through Europe.

🛡️ Defense & Corporate Interests

• Israeli Defense Contractors: European offices and manufacturing facilities tied to the Israeli defense supply chain were placed on their tactical strike list.

Edited August 3Aug 3 by Cameroni