15-Year-Old Swedish Boy Charged in Australia for Organising Contract Killings Online
A 15-year-old Swedish boy has been charged in Australia for allegedly using encrypted communication apps to help plan contract killings in Sweden and Denmark. According to a joint statement from the Australian Federal Police, Danish Police, and the Swedish Police Authority, the teenager is suspected of working on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate involved in ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region.
Authorities say that while living in western Sydney, the teen attempted to recruit individuals to carry out targeted killings overseas. He was arrested after Australian Federal Police executed a search warrant on his residence, during which electronic devices were seized. These devices are now undergoing forensic examination.
The teenager has been charged with two serious offences: using a device connected to a telecommunications network with the intent to commit murder, and using a device with the intent to conspire to murder. Both charges carry a potential life sentence under Australian law.
He was formally refused bail and is due to reappear at Surry Hills Children’s Court on June 11.
In a separate statement, Danish authorities confirmed the suspect is a Swedish citizen. Sweden has seen a surge in gun violence and bombings in recent years, much of it driven by rival gang conflicts. Disturbingly, many of the perpetrators are children under the age of 15, below the country’s age of criminal responsibility, making them attractive recruits for organized crime groups. The impact of Sweden’s gang violence has increasingly spilled into neighboring Denmark and Norway.
