Violence-as-a-Service: Encrypted Apps Used in Recruiting Teens as Hitmen

European police, led by Denmark and Sweden, are arresting individuals in a crackdown on violence-as-a-service, where criminal groups recruit teenagers online for contract killings. Learn about Europol’s OTF GRIMM task force and how they’re fighting this disturbing trend.

European law enforcement agencies, led by Denmark and Sweden, are intensifying their fight against a disturbing new criminal trend: the online recruitment of young people, some as young as 14, to carry out contract killings. This practice, termed violence-as-a-service, sees criminal groups using encrypted online platforms to offer money for shootings, often across national borders.

As per Europol’s press release, recent efforts, spearheaded by Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit and the Swedish Police, have led to several arrests. Following investigations into violent acts, including a shooting in Kokkedal on May 7, 2025, seven individuals, aged between 14 and 26, have either been arrested or surrendered from countries like ...