European authorities investigate rise in juvenile hitmen and violent homicides

Across several European countries, law enforcement agencies are grappling with a surge in deadly violence, ranging from organized gang hits involving minors to fatal domestic attacks. In Germany, police intercepted a 13-year-old Dutch national armed with a loaded handgun, alleging the youth was hired by organized crime figures connected to gang rivalries in Hamburg. This case highlights broader trends in Sweden, where criminal syndicates increasingly use digital platforms to recruit teenagers for contract assassinations.

Simultaneously, Spanish authorities are handling multiple severe violent incidents in the Madrid region, including the targeted non-fatal shooting of a prominent criminal figure in Puente de Vallecas and two separate homicides of women occurring hours apart. In France, investigators opened a murder probe after a father reportedly killed his wife and two young children before committing suicide.

Sources: Canarias7, El Día, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, Marca.