Gang violence was originally linked to control of the drug market. (Representative)
Stockholm:
Iran is recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs, some of them children, as proxies to commit “acts of violence” against Israel and other states and groups in Sweden that Tehran considers a threat, the Swedish intelligence agency said Thursday.
The announcement came two weeks after nighttime gunfire was reported outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm and three months after police found an unexploded grenade on the grounds of the Israeli compound.
“The Swedish Security Police observes that the Iranian regime is using criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other states, groups or people in Sweden that it considers a threat,” said the intelligence service, commonly known as Sapo , in a statement. declaration.
It cited in particular “Israeli and Jewish interests, targets and operations in Sweden”.
“Iran has already used violence in other European countries in an attempt to silence critical voices and alleged threats against its regime,” he said.
“Our assessment is that this is a regional conflict that has spread globally and now also includes Sweden as an arena for this conflict,” said the head of Sapo’s counterintelligence service, Daniel Stenling, at a press conference.
He said that “very young individuals, even children, could be used to carry out Iranian activities that threaten security in Sweden.”
The Scandinavian country has struggled to contain a rise in gang violence in recent years, with shootings and bombings now occurring weekly across the country.
Gang violence was originally linked to control of the drug market.
Sapo said he was collaborating with the police, military and international allies “to confront the threat from Iran”.
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