Teenager regretted violent mission – then a relative was shot at

The police: “It happens regularly”

Violent missions are announced daily in encrypted chats.

But the children who take on the assignments run the risk of violence – even if they repent.

– It regularly happens that they are exposed to threats if they fail or withdraw, says Erik Lindblad, operations manager at the police.

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On social media such as Instagram and Snapchat, cybercriminals lure children into various chats. There they advertise violent missions such as murder, explosions and shootings.

Recently, many of the assignments have dealt with acts of violence to be carried out in Denmark. Several children and young people have been arrested on their way there, or on the spot in the country, after they have committed a crime.

The police suspect that Ismail Abdo’s criminal network Rumba is behind the recruitments, according to Aftonbladet’s sources.

The police have also seen that young people who took on assignments, but regretted it before they even did anything, can end up in the middle of the spiral of violence.

According to information to Aftonbladet, there have been several cases recently where young people who have backed out have received threats directed at them – and their families.

Other times, the children, or their families, may be punished if the recruit fails to carry out their mission – or is arrested after the missions have been completed.

– It regularly happens that they are exposed to threats if they fail or withdraw, says Erik Lindblad, national operations leader for the police’s special event Frigg.

Among other things, an attempted murder in Laholm earlier this summer is suspected to have been aimed at a relative of a young man who was arrested for an explosion in Denmark, according to information. Shortly after the man was arrested, a relative, written at the same home address as the arrested man, was shot. According to information, the person was woken up by someone knocking on the door. When he went out to check who it was, he was shot in the leg, among other things.

Details: Teenager was kidnapped

In addition, there is the risk that the children are exposed to violence from the targets.

Earlier this summer, a boy took it upon himself to kill a gang member at a wedding in Denmark, according to information obtained by Aftonbladet. When he was about to carry out the deed, he was discovered by gang criminals and kidnapped, according to information.

He was later released after being reported missing for some time.

Erik Lindblad does not comment on individual cases, but says that there are several risks when children take on assignments – in addition to the fact that they can be legally punished for it.

– In addition to the children being convicted of crimes and damages, which are also passed on to their parents and guardians, they can have bad luck in the form of revenge from the people they are supposed to target, or something else going wrong. It is associated with many risks, says Erik Lindblad.

The police: They “groom” the children

The phenomenon of children being recruited into criminal networks online has existed for a long time. In many cases, the police also suspect that it is the children themselves who seek out the criminals on social media, and make contact.

– Pretty much all assignments go out via chats. Grooming itself takes place on social media. The concrete jobs then go out via other chat applications, says Erik Lindblad.

In stories on Instagram, you can see daily how accounts post ads where they are looking for “steppers” – in other words, a person who commits violent crimes on behalf of others. They promise a reward and invite people to contact them in dminfoclosedm Direct message on, for example, Instagram. .

Often, the people are then invited to chat groups in encrypted apps such as Signal or Telegram.

The police follow the situation online, but many times it is difficult to follow up everything that happens there.

– Many of the areas of conflict are there. We work with various kinds of online surveillance, but the internet is huge and there are any number of chats and chat groups. It is a difficult environment to be in as a police officer and difficult to monitor, says Erik Lindblad.

In all parts of society

The number of “steppers”, children who take on violent tasks, does not appear to be decreasing. Nor the number of network criminals who post the jobs. The police have also seen that the children who are inclined to take on assignments can be found in all parts of society.

– There is some kind of narrative that it is mainly about placed children who do it, but we also see that there are children who disappear from home to commit crimes. There are socially vulnerable children in all forms, in all parts of the country. We also see that many of them have previously gone unpunished, says Erik Lindblad.

As a parent, you should demand to find out what is happening on the children’s phones, according to him.

– It is important that you take an interest in what they do, read up and ask yourself why your 13-year-old has an encrypted chat function on his phone. You should take an interest in what the child does on social media and what accounts the child follows, he says.