Foxtrot Network: The shadowy gang recruiting teen killers across Europe

BBC News · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Aug 01, 2026 · 1316 words · By Daniel Sandford

Transnational Organized Crime Youth Vulnerability and Exploitation Iranian State-Sponsored Violence

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What to know about Transnational Organized Crime

Young guns for hire - the teenage hitmen recruited to kill across Europe - Published In a Stockholm suburb a man dressed in black appeared out of the winter night.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Young guns for hire - the teenage hitmen recruited to kill across Europe - Published In a Stockholm suburb a man dressed in black appeared out of the winter night.

Why it matters

Carrying a handgun, he approached 20-year-old Murad Abdelkader, a student on his way back from a shift at McDonald's.

Common ground

The gunman opened fire, shooting again and again as he approached his target.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Transnational Organized Crime story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Police have made more than 280 arrests including a few key suspects [via OTF GRIMM]?
How does this story connect Transnational Organized Crime with Youth Vulnerability and Exploitation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrjyevmv61o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 60% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Police have made more than 280 arrests including a few key suspects [via OTF GRIMM].”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “According to Operational Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM, the Europol group set up to tackle the problem, the teenage hitmen are recruited on social media, and are given their instructions in a "gamified" way”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Europol-related reports, confirm that OTF GRIMM identifies the recruitment of teenagers via social media using 'gamified' tasks.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Foxtrot (also known as The Foxtrot Network) is a criminal network in Sweden that emerged at the end of the 2010s. The network is Sweden's main distributor of narcotics. Rawa Majid, also known as the K…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtrot_(criminal_network)

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 29, 2026 · Social media platforms and messaging apps are used to reach young people through coded language, memes and gamified tasks. In return for money, status or a sense of belonging, they are …
https://www.europol.europa.eu/how-we-work/operations/operati…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 19, 2025 · The criminal networks exploit social media to post contract offers for shootings, a modus operandi known as ‘violence-as-a-service’, that increasingly puts minors at the heart of cross-…
https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/teen…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 3: “Since 2022, the Foxtrot Network is thought to have been responsible for about 35 murders as well as a number of attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli targets in Europe including two involving explosives and hand grenades.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results (including BBC) report the figure of approximately 35 murders since 2022 and attacks on Israeli targets involving explosives/grenades.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collective…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealth_aircraft

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Police believe some of the VaaS attacks have been carried out for the Iranian regime, including a hand grenade attack on the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia and multiple web reports state that the Iranian regime uses the Foxtrot Network to target enemies, including Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe.

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web search NEUTRAL — Foxtrot is a criminal network in Sweden that emerged at the end of the 2010s.In exchange for protection and safe haven in Tehran, Majid agreed to use his network to carry out attacks on Israeli and Je…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtrot_(criminal_network)

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web search NEUTRAL — "The regime is ordering the leader of the Foxtrot Network to instigate his network to commit attacks against the Iranian regime's enemies," he said. "It can be dissidents, journalists that are in the …
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrjyevmv61o

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verified

Claim 5: “The leader of the Foxtrot Network, Rawa Majid, has fled Sweden and his later operating base in Turkey, and is now based in the Iranian capital Tehran.”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia and other sources confirm Rawa Majid is the leader of the Foxtrot Network and has operational ties to Iran; Wikipedia specifically mentions his residency in Turkey and flight to other locations.

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web search NEUTRAL — Rawa Majid, also known as the Kurdish Fox, is the ringleader of the network, which now maintains direct operational ties to Iran. The network has been linked to violent incidents in several countries,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtrot_(criminal_network)

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 12, 2025 · Today, the United States is sanctioning the Foxtrot Network, a transnational criminal organization, and its fugitive leader, Rawa Majid. The Foxtrot Network is a notorious criminal gang…
https://www.state.gov/sanctioning-the-foxtrot-network/

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web search NEUTRAL — Rawa Majid (Sorani Kurdish: ڕەوا مەجید; born 12 July 1986), known as the Kurdish Fox (Swedish: Kurdiska räven), is an Iraqi Kurdish-Swedish criminal. Since 2018, he has been a resident of Turkey, but …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawa_Majid

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Claim 6: “Swedish police have accused Ali Shehad Ahmed, who is close to the Foxtrot leader Majid, of being Agent 47.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “Ahmed... was detained in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, and is currently subject to an extradition request to Sweden.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 8: “He had done it for money - hired by the Foxtrot Network, an organised crime group with links to the Iranian regime”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia and US Department of Treasury (OFAC) confirm the Foxtrot Network is a criminal organization with links to the Iranian regime and involved in attacks on Israelis.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rawa Majid (Sorani Kurdish: ڕەوا مەجید; born 12 July 1986), known as the Kurdish Fox (Swedish: Kurdiska räven), is an Iraqi Kurdish-Swedish criminal. Since 2018, he has been a resident of Turkey, but …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawa_Majid

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iranian external operations refer to the activities conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran in foreign countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. These are primarily carried out by Unit 840 of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_external_operations

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “In May, Mohamed "Moewgli" Mohdhi, a former rapper described by Swedish police as a "central actor" in Foxtrot, was arrested in Tunisia.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “Natland... had flown in to carry out a hit on behalf of Foxtrot somewhere near Huddersfield.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “The killer was 18-year-old Atilla Azimov.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that 18-year-old Atilla Azimov killed Murad Abdelkader.

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web search NEUTRAL — 19 hours ago · He fired the last shot into his victim's head as he lay helpless on the ground. The killer was 18-year-old Atilla Azimov. On that February night last year, he had killed the wrong man.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/young-guns-hire-te…

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web search NEUTRAL — Carrying a handgun, he approached 20-year-old Murad Abdelkader, a student on his way back from a shift at McDonald's. The gunman opened fire, shooting again and again as he approached his target. He f…
https://www.premiumnewsusa.com/news/young-guns-for-hire-the-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Foxtrot Network hitmen case is exposing how an organised crime group with links to the Iranian regime has used teenagers as disposable contract killers across Europe. In one Stockholm suburb, 18-y…
https://thetruedefender.news/post/foxtrot-network-turns-teen…

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Claim 12: “Johannes Natland, a Norwegian teenager who was convicted of conspiracy to murder by a jury at the Old Bailey in London on Wednesday for a planned killing in West Yorkshire.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple news sources (BBC, The Crown, and another news report) confirm Johannes Natland was convicted of conspiracy to murder at the Old Bailey for a plot in West Yorkshire.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hamilton streets have been formed since the 1864 Invasion of the Waikato, after which the first crown grants were given to members of the occupying force, the 4th Waikato Militia, and plans made of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_streets_in_Hamilton,_W…

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · Today at the Old Bailey, Natland was convicted of conspiracy to murder following a retrial. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm and...
https://www.cps.gov.uk/national-news/news/teen-hitman-guilty…

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · A Norwegian man who travelled to the UK to carry out an assassination has been convicted of a conspiracy to commit murder after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London…
https://www.counterterrorism.police.uk/news/norwegian-man-co…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 13: “Generalen... had also recruited at least two people who carried out murders in Sweden. They were Azimov... and a 17-year-old who shot dead Ahmed Zamzam in Lund”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “The Foxtrot Network and Majid were sanctioned by the UK government, external in April 2025.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found regarding UK sanctions specifically in April 2025; however, US sanctions in March 2025 were noted, but the specific claim about the UK in April 2025 is unsupported by the provided data.

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Claim 15: “Generalen was convicted in May and is serving a 14-year-prison sentence.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 16: “The links to the Iranian regime started after October 2023 when Majid fled to Tehran”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific date of October 2023 as the start of the links to the Iranian regime.

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Claim 17: “OTF GRIMM currently involves 11 countries affected by the VaaS phenomenon - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources, including the official Europol site, list the exact 11 member countries involved in OTF GRIMM.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Partners: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Duration: April 2025 - Ongoing.
https://www.europol.europa.eu/how-we-work/operations/operati…

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web search NEUTRAL — OTF GRIMM currently involves 11 countries affected by the VaaS phenomenon - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrjyevmv61o

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web search NEUTRAL — The taskforce includes 11 countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
https://www.brusselstimes.com/2104393/eu-most-wanted-list-ex…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.