In brief
A network that hires teenagers for murders has left a death trail in Sweden, Norway, and the UK. The Foxtrot gang, linked to the Iranian regime, recruits teens via social media, using gamified instructions that resemble video games. Investigators trace hit‑men like Atilla Azimov and Johannes Natland back to a chain of online handlers and logistics operators. Europol’s Operative Taskforce GRIMM has now captured key figures, but the network’s leader remains in Iran. The trend of VaaS is still woken, spreading to rival networks such as the Dalen. In 2022 Foxtrot was blamed for 35 killings and a series of attacks on Israeli targets across Europe. Teenagers are raked in for cash—often unpaid—because their youth makes them risk‑taking and less likely to law‑seek. The resulting web of young “commissioners” is constructing a new class of modular killers. Police urge the public to report any suspicious gamer‑like activity involving minors in online forums. This story highlights an emerging global threat that blends organised crime, state motives and cyberspace to weaponise youth.
Teenage Hitmen Across Europe
Police in Sweden arrested 18‑year‑old Atilla Azimov last year after he shot 20‑year‑old Murad Abdelkader with a handgun in a Stockholm suburb. Azimov was paid by the Foxtrot Network, a crime group that idolises Iranian state‑backed violence‑as‑a‑service (VaaS) tactics. He had previously killed a stranger in February 2025, earning a life sentence.
The network’s recruitment model relies on social media. Teenagers log onto a private messaging platform, where “commissioners” with gaming‑like usernames—e.g., Agent 47 or UnknownHustler—send them step‑by‑step instructions. One case involved Norwegian youth Johannes Natland, who was led to a murder plot in Huddersfield as part of a deal for 270,000 kroner (£21,000). The instructions were streamed by a “logistics” user, who supplied a map and videos on where to find guns and cash.
Only 35 VaaS‑related murders have surfaced in Europe since 2022, but most of the hired teens end up in prison before they can be paid. Investigators say the network deliberately employs younger teens who see fewer consequences. The figure Rawa Majid, the alleged Foxtrot leader, fled to Tehran after 2023, keeping the operation running from Iran.
Europol’s Operative Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM has made 280 arrests and captured individuals such as Ali Shehad Ahmed, who is believed to work as Agent 47. The Swedish police have also detained Mohamed “Moewgli” Mohdhi, a prominent Foxtrot figure, in Tunisia. A key arrest in Iraq was that of a suspected Foxtrot member in Sulaymaniyah, now under extradition to Sweden.
While OTF GRIMM has halted many of the network’s operations, the danger spreads as rival groups—like the Dalen Network—adopt the VaaS model. The UK’s Old Bailey is now facing swathes of offenders, and authorities urge vigilance for any disjointed militant posts on gaming or hacking forums.
Sources: Swedish Police, Europol, UK Home Office, SVT Journalists.
