Danger in chat apps

Eleven-year-olds in Sweden as contract killers

In recent years, Sweden has struggled to curb the increasing number of shootings, drug-related crime and bomb attacks by gangs across the country.(Bild: AFP)

The gang crime situation in Sweden has become increasingly worrying in recent years. In Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm in particular, there are regular violent clashes between rival groups - often involving firearms. The perpetrators are getting younger and younger and are unscrupulously hired as contract killers.

In recent years, Sweden has struggled to contain the increasing number of shootings and bomb attacks by gangs throughout the country. The gangs are fighting for control of the drugs market. They engage in shootouts and carry out attacks with homemade explosive devices.

The situation seems precarious in many places: 53 people died in shootouts in 2023, including bystanders. 

Maritha O. in Stockholm with a picture of her son Marley, who was shot dead in 2015.(Bild: AFP )

Investigation after a murder in Skarholmen in April 2024(Bild: Oscar OLSSON / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: AFP/Claudio BRESCIANI / TT News Agency / AFP)

A young person in Baronbackarna in Örebro. Many have no prospects, strive for recognition and money and "are convinced they won't get older than 25".(Bild: AFP (Archivbild))

Gang leaders operate from abroad
The gangs are organized in a complex way: The gang leaders operate from abroad via middlemen, who then use encrypted messenger services such as Telegram, Snapchat or Signal to recruit children and young people under the age of 15 who are not yet of criminal age. The people who accept orders - like on a market - are getting younger and younger. 

Bro, I can't wait to see my first body.

Bursche (11), der Auftragsmord begehen sollte

Recruitment via chat apps for children
"Bro, I can't wait to see my first dead body." This sentence was written by an eleven-year-old on Instagram. The boy is one of many victims of criminal gangs. They use chat apps to recruit children for contract killings. "Stay motivated, you'll get there," a 19-year-old gang member replied to the boy.

13,000 euros offered for murder
In December last year, he offered the child 150,000 crowns (13,000 euros) for a murder, plus clothing and transportation to the crime scene. This is according to the investigation files of the police in the western province of Värmland. In this case, four men aged between 18 and 20 are accused of recruiting four minors aged between 11 and 17 to work for a criminal gang. All were arrested before the crimes could be committed.

In Örebro, volunteers canvass the streets of disadvantaged neighborhoods in the evenings and warn young people of the danger of falling into the clutches of the gangs. One of the social workers shows off his emergency device, which transmits an SOS as soon as he presses the red button.(Bild: AFP)

The investigation files contain photos that the young people have sent to each other. They pose with weapons, some of them bare-chested. He had wanted to appear "cool" and "not show his fear", said the eleven-year-old during questioning.

Murder cases in Sweden

According to the public prosecutor's office, the number of murders in Sweden in which a suspect was under the age of 15 rose dramatically compared to the previous year: in 2023, there were 31 cases in the first eight months of the year and 102 in the same period in 2024.

Auf TikTok & Co.

Wie „Crimefluencer“ junge Söldner rekrutieren

So-called "crime fluencers" are active on TikTok and the like, who establish contact between clients and their "mercenaries". Sometimes children are also approached in the immediate neighborhood. The chosen ones are often children with addiction problems who are already in conflict with the law and are looking for money and recognition.

A sense of belonging and adrenaline rush as motives
According to a report by the National Council for Crime Prevention, some children even choose the jobs themselves because they are looking for money, an adrenaline rush, recognition or a sense of belonging. "Nowadays, everyone wants to be a murderer," says Viktor G., who managed to get out of a gang at the age of 22. The 25-year-old had his first brush with the police at 13.

Nowadays, everyone wants to be a murderer.

Ehemaliges Bandenmitglied Viktor G.

"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 an "unscrupulous exploitation of young people who are just starting out in life". The gang leaders and middlemen "don't want to take any risks themselves", he says. "They hide behind pseudonyms in social networks and set up several filters between themselves and the young hitmen."