Young guns for hire – the teenage hitmen recruited to kill across Europe
Teenage Assassins: Europe’s Growing Violence-as-a-Service Phenomenon
Constantvpn.com – Across European cities, a disturbing trend has emerged where adolescents are being employed as professional killers. Operating under what experts describe as “violence-as-a-service” (VaaS), these young operatives receive payment for eliminating targets while often remaining anonymous through digital platforms. The Foxtrot Network stands at the center of this criminal enterprise, coordinating hits across multiple nations with connections stretching to Tehran.
A Mistaken Identity in Stockholm
During a cold February evening in Stockholm, an eighteen-year-old named Atilla Azimov stepped into the winter darkness clad entirely in black. Armed with a pistol, he located his intended victim—twenty-year-old Murad Abdelkader, who was returning home after working at McDonald’s. Azimov unleashed a barrage of bullets, eventually finishing his target with a shot to the head as the young man lay motionless on the pavement. Tragically, Azimov had eliminated the wrong person. The teenager had been contracted by the Foxtrot Network, an organized crime syndicate with ties to Iran’s government, to carry out a targeted assassination.
“The regime is ordering the leader of the Foxtrot Network to instigate his network to commit attacks against the Iranian regime’s enemies,” explained Diamant Salihu, an investigative journalist for Swedish broadcaster SVT.
Following his capture, Azimov received a life sentence for the erroneous killing. CCTV footage and photographs taken after his apprehension captured the young killer’s image, cementing his place in European criminal history.
The Gamification of Murder
What makes this phenomenon particularly modern is how recruitment and instruction occur. According to OTF GRIMM—the European Task Force dedicated to combating VaaS operations—teenagers discover opportunities through social media platforms. They receive mission parameters through a system that mirrors video game mechanics, making the process feel familiar to digital natives. Andy Kraag, who leads Europol’s European Serious and Organised Crime Centre, characterizes this development as the “calculated outsourcing of murder” to impressionable youth who are vulnerable to exploitation.
The eleven participating nations include Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Since 2022, the Foxtrot Network has allegedly orchestrated approximately thirty-five homicides alongside numerous assaults and attempted attacks targeting Israeli interests throughout Europe. Some operations involved explosives and hand grenades, demonstrating the sophistication of these youthful operatives.
From Norway to England: The Natland Case
Johannes Natland’s story exemplifies how the system functions. The eighteen-year-old Norwegian, son of two journalists from Stavanger, enjoyed a privileged childhood before drifting toward substance abuse and developing psychosis. His journey led him through rehabilitation facilities and a brief stay in a children’s home, where he encountered another teenager operating under the online alias UnknownHustler.
“It can be dissidents, journalists that are in the opposition against the regime, and it can also be Israeli targets,” Salihu noted regarding the variety of Foxtrot’s targets.
UnknownHustler transmitted a request seeking someone willing to execute a hit in England, offering 270,000 Norwegian kroner—roughly equivalent to £21,000. The message originated from another adolescent known as Generalen, who was sixteen years old at the time and had spent three years residing in a children’s home. Generalen subsequently recruited Natland for the assignment.
Natland was then connected with a Foxtrot operative bearing the username Agent 47, a reference to the popular Hitman video game series. Swedish authorities have identified Ali Shehad Ahmed, a close associate of Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid, as the individual behind this digital identity. Agent 47 arranged Natland’s one-way flight to Manchester Airport and assisted him in obtaining an emergency passport. Through the Signal messaging application, the coordinator provided step-by-step guidance throughout the operation.
Geopolitical Connections and Sanctions
Rawa Majid, the Foxtrot Network’s commander, has relocated from Sweden and his subsequent Turkish headquarters to Tehran, Iran’s capital. Police investigations suggest certain VaaS operations were conducted on behalf of the Iranian government, including a hand grenade assault on the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen. However, not all attacks serve geopolitical purposes; many stem from Foxtrot’s territorial disputes within the drug trade.
The relationship between Majid and Tehran intensified following October 2023, when he sought refuge in Iran. According to Salihu, Majid negotiated terms allowing him freedom in exchange for directing his network’s activities against Iran’s adversaries. The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on both Majid and the Foxtrot Network in April 2025, arriving one month after Natland’s arrest for his attempted role in the Huddersfield-area assassination attempt.
Despite the substantial rewards offered, the Foxtrot Network rarely disburses payment. Many teenage hitmen are apprehended before completing their missions, leaving the syndicate with minimal financial obligations while maintaining its reputation for violence across the continent.
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