Children are being recruited as criminals at an 'industrial scale': Europol

Key Points:

• In March 2025, 16-year-old Rio was fatally shot in Stockholm by another teenager recruited online to commit the crime, highlighting a disturbing trend of minors being groomed by criminal gangs for violent acts.
• Europol's Grimm Task Force has uncovered an "industrial scale" problem of "violence as a service," where gangs recruit children via gaming and messaging platforms to carry out crimes like shootings, bombings, and kidnappings across Western Europe.
• The recruitment process exploits vulnerable teens seeking acceptance and financial gain, with contract payments ranging from €3,000 to €40,000, though payouts are often withheld if the minors are caught.
• Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are intensifying efforts to combat this borderless digital crime, investigating hundreds of subjects involved in violent online networks targeting youth.
• Victims' families, like Rio's mother Anneli Berg, urge parents to engage actively with their children to raise awareness about these online dangers and protect them from exploitation by criminal groups.