A concerning case involving a young Swedish national has unfolded in Sydney, where a 15-year-old boy was taken into custody following allegations of orchestrating contract killings overseas.
The teenager is accused of attempting to enlist individuals for murder plots targeting Denmark and Sweden. The arrest occurred yesterday morning after Australian Federal Police (AFP) executed a search warrant at his family’s residence in western Sydney.
This action followed intelligence received from Danish authorities, who alerted Australian counterparts that a person linked to violent Scandinavian street gangs might be residing in Australia. Investigations suggest the boy is implicated in what’s known as Crime-as-a-Service (CAAS), a growing trend where criminal activities are outsourced to third parties, often facilitated through online platforms and social media.
During the raid, police confiscated various electronic devices that will now be subjected to forensic analysis. The boy appeared in Sydney Children’s Court yesterday, facing two charges related to using telecommunications with the intent to commit murder. He was denied bail and is expected to reappear in court in June.
AFP Commander Brett James emphasized the limitations of encrypted communication for criminals, stating, “The AFP regularly collaborates with international law enforcement agencies, and this successful identification of alleged international criminal links demonstrates the strength of those partnerships.”
Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, Danish Police Deputy Chief Superintendent of the National Special Crime Unit, further highlighted the collaborative effort. He stated, “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.”
The situation underscores the importance of international cooperation in combating transnational crime and demonstrates that even sophisticated online methods are not impervious to law enforcement scrutiny.
