Image Credits: Iran-linked crime network accused of recruiting teenagers for attacks across Europe. AI-generated illustration created by Open Chronicle using ChatGPT (OpenAI). July 2026. This image is illustrative and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle with agencies
A European criminal organization allegedly linked to Iran has been recruiting teenagers to carry out murders and attacks across Europe, including operations targeting Israeli and Jewish sites, according to a BBC investigation.
The group, known as the Foxtrot Network, has emerged as one of Europe’s most violent organized crime organizations. Investigators believe it has been involved in around 35 murders, as well as several attacks and attempted attacks against Israeli targets since 2022.
According to the report, the network has increasingly relied on minors and young adults to carry out violent operations. Teenagers are reportedly offered large sums of money to commit attacks. Still, many are arrested before completing their missions or shortly afterward, allowing the organization to avoid paying the promised rewards.
Swedish investigative journalist Diamant Salihu, who has spent years researching the Foxtrot Network, said the strategy is intentional.
“The organization has a deliberate policy of recruiting younger and younger teenagers because they are less likely to think about the consequences of getting caught and are more willing to take risks,” he told the BBC.
The group’s recruitment methods came under renewed scrutiny after a Norwegian teenager was convicted in the United Kingdom for conspiracy to commit murder.
Johannes Natland, now 19, was arrested in March 2025 in a hotel in Huddersfield, northern England, where police discovered two firearms and ammunition. Prosecutors told the court that Natland had been recruited through the Foxtrot Network after an individual using the alias “Agent 47” allegedly offered €25,000 to hire an assassin.
Alleged ties to Iran
The BBC report states that Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid is currently believed to be living in Tehran.
According to Salihu, Majid reached an agreement with Iranian authorities that allows him to remain in Iran in exchange for directing his criminal network against individuals considered enemies of the Iranian regime.
Potential targets could include Iranian dissidents living abroad, journalists critical of Tehran and Israeli interests across Europe, according to the investigation.
Iran has consistently denied any involvement with the organization.
The Iranian Embassy in London rejected allegations linking the government to the Foxtrot Network, describing the accusations as unfounded and stating that the Islamic Republic has no connection with the Swedish-based criminal group.
International sanctions
Western governments have increasingly focused on the network’s alleged activities.
In April 2025, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on both the Foxtrot Network and Rawa Majid. Then Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the organization had carried out attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets across Europe on behalf of the Iranian regime.
The United States had already announced sanctions a month earlier, accusing the organization of involvement in international drug trafficking and of conducting attacks against Israelis and Jewish communities in Europe.
Authorities in several European countries continue to investigate the group’s activities amid growing concerns about the use of organized crime networks to conduct politically motivated violence across the continent.
While investigators have alleged links between the Foxtrot Network and Iran, Tehran continues to reject the accusations, and no international court has established legal responsibility for the claims.