Australian authorities have charged a 15-year-old Swedish citizen with serious terrorism-related offences after uncovering a plot involving overseas contract killings tied to a transnational criminal syndicate operating across Scandinavia.
In a coordinated operation announced in a joint statement by Australian, Swedish, and Danish police, the teenager was accused of “allegedly using an encrypted application to facilitate plans for overseas contract killings on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate.”
According to Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, Deputy Chief Superintendent of Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit, the suspect attempted to recruit individuals from Australia to carry out killings in both Denmark and Sweden, fueling ongoing gang-related conflicts in the Nordic region.
“While in Australia, the young man is suspected of having attempted to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden as part of ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region,” Feldt-Rasmussen stated.
The arrest was made on Wednesday after police executed a search warrant in western Sydney. The suspect was subsequently denied bail during a hearing in a children’s court and is scheduled to reappear on June 11.
Australian police confirmed that the teenager was charged with two counts of “using a device connected to a telecommunications network with intention to commit a serious offence”—one relating to murder, and the other to conspiracy to murder. Both charges carry potential life sentences.
Danish police further identified the suspect as a Swedish national, adding a new layer of concern to the growing transnational nature of youth involvement in organized crime.
Sweden has been grappling with escalating violence involving rival gangs, where shootings and bombings have become alarmingly frequent. Authorities say gangs are increasingly enlisting teenagers—often younger than 15, the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Sweden—to execute violent crimes, including contract killings, as a strategy to avoid prosecution.
Violence linked to Swedish gangs has also spilled into neighboring Norway and Denmark, raising alarms about the cross-border reach of these criminal networks.
The case is being closely monitored by international law enforcement agencies, highlighting the growing trend of tech-enabled transnational crime and the recruitment of minors in gang warfare.
