European police target transnational networks recruiting youth for gang violence

European law enforcement agencies continue targeting transnational criminal networks that recruit teenagers online for contract violence. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson commended police cooperation after Spanish authorities in Alicante arrested a 22-year-old Swedish national suspected of ordering violent attacks. In Belgium, an off-duty Spanish police officer helped capture a 17-year-old suspect connected to a murder in Spain. Furthermore, a British court sentenced an 18-year-old Norwegian recruited via Sweden's Foxtrot network. Reports reveal gangs use online advertisements offering up to 90,000 euros to enlist youth, falsely claiming "nothing can go wrong."

In a separate incident in northeastern France, French authorities are investigating a suspected family murder-suicide after a father reportedly killed three relatives, including two children, with a rifle before taking his own life.

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