This recruitment is facilitated through platforms like Telegram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, with payments for carrying out assassinations reaching up to €1,500. Incidents described include shooting at Israeli diplomatic missions and planting bombs near the "Elbit Systems" facility in Sweden.

Law enforcement agencies in Scandinavian countries are alarmed by a new trend of minors being recruited by Iranian representatives to attack Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe, as reported this evening (Saturday) by Bloomberg.

Individuals acting on behalf of the Iranian regime exploit low policing and high trust, reaching out to potential mercenaries, some with criminal backgrounds, via Telegram, TikTok, and WhatsApp. According to Peter Nesser, a terrorism researcher at Norway's security research institute, recruited youths receive about €1,500 for an assassination and approximately €120 for activating a gasoline bomb.

The actions carried out by these recruits are varied. For instance, a 15-year-old was reported to have entered a taxi asking to go to the Israeli embassy in Stockholm with a loaded gun, a 13-year-old in Gothenburg attempted to shoot at a branch of the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems, and a 16-year-old assisted in planting homemade explosives outside the main entrance of the facility.

In May, security services in Brussels identified 14-year-olds planning an attack on the Israeli embassy, and on October 1, a suspect was reported to have shot at the embassy building before fleeing by train to Copenhagen, where two explosions were heard near the Israeli compound. Security officials believe that this individual was also recruited by Iran.

While some of the young recruits act out of frustration with Israeli actions in Gaza, others are motivated by a desire for money and may not fully understand for whom or for what they are working. It is also noted that it is impossible to prosecute minors under the age of 15 in Sweden or Norway.

Photo: Reuters