Teenage Assassins: Europe’s Growing VaaS Threat
Ninoda.com – Across Europe, a new wave of violence is sweeping through cities, driven by an unusual phenomenon known as violence-as-a-service. At the heart of this movement is the Foxtrot Network, an organized crime syndicate with deep connections to the Iranian government. Since 2022, this group has allegedly orchestrated approximately 35 homicides alongside numerous assaults targeting Israeli interests throughout the continent.
What makes this trend particularly alarming is the demographic of the perpetrators. Rather than seasoned criminals, the network recruits adolescents to execute contracts for financial compensation. These young killers rarely receive payment because they are frequently apprehended before or during their missions.
The Stockholm Shooting
One of the most notable incidents occurred in a Stockholm neighborhood during February of last year. An eighteen-year-old named Atilla Azimov emerged from the cold darkness, weapon in hand. He spotted his intended target: twenty-year-old Murad Abdelkader, a university student returning from work at McDonald’s.
Azimov unleashed a barrage of bullets, closing the distance as he fired repeatedly. The final shot struck Abdelkader in the head while the victim lay motionless on the pavement. Tragically, Azimov had killed the wrong person. Despite the error, he had been contracted by the Foxtrot Network to carry out the assassination.
CCTV footage and images taken following his capture show Azimov holding a firearm. He subsequently received a life sentence for the accidental homicide.
How the System Works
According to OTF GRIMM, a specialized Europol task force established to combat this issue, recruitment happens primarily through social media platforms. Instructions are delivered using a “gamified” approach that mirrors video game mechanics.
Andy Kraag, who leads Europol’s European Serious and Organised Crime Centre, describes the phenomenon as the “calculated outsourcing of murder” to impressionable youth.
The current OTF GRIMM initiative encompasses eleven nations impacted by VaaS: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Iranian Connections
Rawa Majid, the head of the Foxtrot Network, has relocated from Sweden and his subsequent operations in Turkey to Tehran, the capital of Iran. Law enforcement agencies suspect that several VaaS operations have been commissioned by the Iranian government. One such operation involved a hand grenade assault on the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen, while other attacks stem from Foxtrot’s territorial disputes over drug distribution.
Diamant Salihu, an investigative reporter for Swedish television network SVT, has spent three years examining Foxtrot’s ties to Iran. “The regime is ordering the leader of the Foxtrot Network to instigate his network to commit attacks against the Iranian regime’s enemies,” he explained. “It can be dissidents, journalists that are in the opposition against the regime, and it can also be Israeli targets.”
These connections solidified following October 2023 when Majid escaped to Tehran. “He had to make a deal to be able to live freely in Iran, under condition that he and his network work for the regime,” Salihu noted.
The Natland Case
The story of Johannes Natland provides insight into how the VaaS model operates in practice. Natland, an eighteen-year-old Norwegian, was convicted by a jury at London’s Old Bailey on Wednesday for conspiracy to murder related to a planned assassination in West Yorkshire.
Despite coming from a privileged background as the son of two journalists in Stavanger, Natland struggled with substance abuse and developed psychosis. His journey led him through rehabilitation programs and a brief stay in a children’s home.
It was during his time at the children’s home that Natland encountered another teenager known online as UnknownHustler. This individual sent Natland a message seeking someone willing to perform a hit in England, offering 270,000 Norwegian kroner—roughly £21,000. The request originated from another adolescent called Generalen, who was sixteen at the time and had spent three years in care.
Generalen recruited Natland for the mission and connected him with a Foxtrot representative using the online alias Agent 47, a name borrowed from the popular Hitman video game series. Swedish authorities have identified Ali Shehad Ahmed, a close associate of Majid, as the person behind Agent 47.
Agent 47 arranged Natland’s one-way flight to Manchester Airport and assisted him in obtaining an emergency passport. Through the Signal messaging application, he provided guidance throughout the process.
The UK government placed sanctions on both the Foxtrot Network and Majid in April 2025, one month after Natland’s arrest. This timeline highlights the growing international attention being paid to this emerging threat.
