Iran hiring kids to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe: Report

Intelligence officials said Iran is paying teens as young as 13-years-old to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe, and there are concerns Tehran’s efforts may spread, according to a report from Bloomberg on Saturday, Dec. 21. Investigators said that several attacks in 2024 across Sweden, involving the Israeli Embassy and an Israeli defense firm, are linked to Iran-backed networks recruiting local criminals, including teenagers.

Authorities are concerned that the recruitment is part of a larger effort to attack Jewish and Israeli targets throughout Europe. In fall 2024, both Swedish and Norwegian authorities warned of Tehran-funded operations and, in October 2024, Norway raised its terror alert from medium to high.

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Earlier this year, law enforcement agencies in Brussels found kids as young as 14 plotting an attack on the Israeli Embassy. European intelligence said Iranian proxies are reaching out to mercenaries on social media platforms like Telegram, TikTok and WhatsApp.

The proxy groups are offering nearly $1,600 for a murder and 120 euros for a “petrol attack,” according to what a person familiar with the illegal trade told Bloomberg.

Authorities believe that while some young immigrants may be lured to join Iran-backed proxies over frustration with Israel’s war in Gaza, other young migrants are driven by the need for money, not knowing what they are signing up for, and unaware they’re “acting on behalf of a foreign power,” according to Swedish authorities.

A recent study shows that 40% of migrants in Swedish society don’t feel integrated. The study also said immigrants in the country experience higher rates of poverty, making recruitment for gangs and Iranian proxies easier.

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While it remains to be seen if Iran’s recruitment efforts will spread to other countries in Europe, in March 2024, government officials from Sweden, Norway and Denmark met to talk about the recruitment of young people into criminal networks, and how to minimize the threat.

The Swedish minister for justice noted that cooperation among Nordic neighbors would be key.

“We must do all we can to break the trend of children and young people being recruited into gangs,” Swedish Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer said in a statement.