©(Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
Iran is recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs, some of them children, as proxies to commit "acts of violence" against Israel and others in Sweden that Tehran considers a threat, Sweden's intelligence agency said Thursday.
The announcement came two weeks after night-time gunfire was reported outside Israel's embassy in Stockholm, and three months after police found a live grenade lying on the grounds of the Israeli compound.
"The Swedish Security Police notes that the Iranian regime is using criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other states, groups or people in Sweden that it considers a threat," the intelligence service, commonly known as Sapo, said in a statement.
It cited in particular "Israeli and Jewish interests, targets and operations in Sweden."
Tensions have flared between Israel and Iran since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7.
In a dramatic escalation after a years-long shadow war of killings and sabotage attacks between the arch-foes, Iran in April fired 350 drones and missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted.
"Iran has previously used violence in other countries in Europe in a bid to silence critical voices and perceived threats against its regime," it said.
"Our assessment is that this is a regional conflict that has spread globally and now also includes Sweden as an arena for this conflict," Head of Sapo's Counterintelligence Service Daniel Stenling told a press conference.
The Scandinavian country has struggled to contain surging gang violence in recent years, with shootings and bombings now weekly occurrences across the country.
The gang violence was originally linked to control over the drugs market, but was "changing shape very quickly," the deputy head of the Swedish Police National Operations Division, Hampus Nygards, told the press conference.
The networks have increasingly recruited ever-younger youths and children eager to gain status and earn quick money, well aware they can't be jailed if under the age of 15.
Stenling said Thursday that "very young individuals, even children, can be used to carry out Iranian activities that threaten security in Sweden."
Foxtrot and Rumba
Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) on Thursday cited documents from Israel's intelligence agency the Mossad. They said that the head of the Swedish gang Foxtrot, Rawa Majid, and his archrival Ismail Abdo, head of the Rumba gang, had both been recruited by the Iranian regime.
DN said the Mossad documents showed that Majid—a Swedish-Turkish dual national nicknamed the "Kurdish Fox"—was recently arrested in Iran and given an ultimatum of either cooperating with the Iranian regime or going to jail.
Swedish media meanwhile reported earlier this week that Abdo, who also holds Turkish citizenship, was recently arrested in Turkey during a traffic control and was released shortly afterwards on bail, despite an international arrest warrant.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told media at the time that Abdo's release was "frustrating."
With AFP
The announcement came two weeks after night-time gunfire was reported outside Israel's embassy in Stockholm, and three months after police found a live grenade lying on the grounds of the Israeli compound.
"The Swedish Security Police notes that the Iranian regime is using criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other states, groups or people in Sweden that it considers a threat," the intelligence service, commonly known as Sapo, said in a statement.
It cited in particular "Israeli and Jewish interests, targets and operations in Sweden."
Tensions have flared between Israel and Iran since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7.
In a dramatic escalation after a years-long shadow war of killings and sabotage attacks between the arch-foes, Iran in April fired 350 drones and missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted.
"Iran has previously used violence in other countries in Europe in a bid to silence critical voices and perceived threats against its regime," it said.
"Our assessment is that this is a regional conflict that has spread globally and now also includes Sweden as an arena for this conflict," Head of Sapo's Counterintelligence Service Daniel Stenling told a press conference.
The Scandinavian country has struggled to contain surging gang violence in recent years, with shootings and bombings now weekly occurrences across the country.
The gang violence was originally linked to control over the drugs market, but was "changing shape very quickly," the deputy head of the Swedish Police National Operations Division, Hampus Nygards, told the press conference.
The networks have increasingly recruited ever-younger youths and children eager to gain status and earn quick money, well aware they can't be jailed if under the age of 15.
Stenling said Thursday that "very young individuals, even children, can be used to carry out Iranian activities that threaten security in Sweden."
Foxtrot and Rumba
Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) on Thursday cited documents from Israel's intelligence agency the Mossad. They said that the head of the Swedish gang Foxtrot, Rawa Majid, and his archrival Ismail Abdo, head of the Rumba gang, had both been recruited by the Iranian regime.
DN said the Mossad documents showed that Majid—a Swedish-Turkish dual national nicknamed the "Kurdish Fox"—was recently arrested in Iran and given an ultimatum of either cooperating with the Iranian regime or going to jail.
Swedish media meanwhile reported earlier this week that Abdo, who also holds Turkish citizenship, was recently arrested in Turkey during a traffic control and was released shortly afterwards on bail, despite an international arrest warrant.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told media at the time that Abdo's release was "frustrating."
With AFP
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