A 15-year-old boy accused of trying to recruit contract killers online in a Nordic gang war faces life in prison after being arrested in a multinational police sting.
The teen was arrested at a home in Western Sydney on Wednesday morning and charged with using an encrypted app to facilitate a “cash for killing” plan on behalf of an international crime syndicate, according to police from Australia, Denmark and Sweden.
Australian police launched an investigation earlier this month after they were alerted by Danish police to a foreign national living in Australia, whom they had linked to attempts at organising contract killings in Europe.
The so-called “crime-as-a-service” contract killings involve individuals outsourcing crimes to third parties, using online platforms including social media to plan and carry out the attacks, police said.
Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, deputy chief superintendent of the Danish police national special crime unit (NSK), said the arrest was a result of close cooperation between the three police forces.
“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.
In a separate statement, Danish police said the boy was originally from Sweden.
The teenager was charged with two counts of using a device connected to a telecommunications network with the intent of committing a serious offence, namely conspiracy to murder - one count under the Australian Commonwealth criminal code and one under the Danish penal code. Both charges are punishable by life in prison.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commander Brett James said that while criminals thought encrypted communications gave them anonymity and would help them dodge the law, the police were “a step ahead”.
“If you think you can use geography to evade law enforcement, you’re mistaken – the AFP and its partners are always watching, sharing intelligence and ready to apprehend those who wish to harm our communities,” he said.
Deputy chief superintendent Feldt-Rasmussen said the investigation was continuing.
“With this operation, we have taken a recruitment link in the crime chain out of play, but we are not finished yet,” he said in translated comments from social media.
“We are also targeting those we suspect of having controlled the 15-year-old. Together with our international partners, we are hunting those who commit crimes against Denmark and the Nordic region - including those hiding abroad."
The teen appeared in a Sydney children’s court on Wednesday and was formally refused bail. He is due to reappear in court on June 11.
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