A Swedish teenager has been arrested in Sydney, accused of hiring hitmen for a contract killing operation overseas.
The 15-year-old-boy is accused of attempting to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden.
He was arrested yesterday morning when Australian Federal Police officers raided his family home in western Sydney.
It followed a tip-off by Danish police that Australia was sheltering a person linked to violent Scandinavian street gangs.
The teenager is allegedly linked to organising Crime-as-a-service (CAAS) contract killings. They involve individuals or groups outsourcing criminal activities to third parties and using online platforms and social media to plan and carry out the crimes.
Police seized seized electronic devices, which will undergo forensic examination, during yesterday’s arrest.
The boy fronted a Sydney children’s court yesterday where he was charged with two counts of using telecommunications devices with intent to murder.
He was refused bail and is scheduled to front court again in June.
AFP Commander Brett James said the arrest highlighted how encrypted communications was no guarantee of anonymity for criminals.
“The AFP regularly works with foreign policing partners, such as the Danish police, and the identification of these alleged international criminal links is a testament to the enduring partnership and collaboration between our agencies,”
Danish Police Deputy Chief Superintendent of the National Special Crime Unit, Lars Feldt-Rasmussen said the arrest was down to close co-operation between Australian, Swedish and Danish police.
“While in Australia, the young man is suspected of having attempted to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden as part of ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region,” he said.
