Spanish police bust gang that recruited Swedish and Danish minors as hitmen

Spanish police have dismantled a gang based in the eastern city of Alicante that allegedly recruited Swedish and Danish teenagers to carry out murders as hitmen.

Police said on Wednesday they had arrested a married Swedish couple and their 15-year-old son, who recruited other teenagers via the messaging app Telegram to commit murder, and are also accused of weapons and drugs trafficking and money laundering.

The gang was dismantled before any murder was committed, a police spokesperson said.

In early November, Swedish prosecutors detained one of the three in absentia - their identities are hidden - on suspicion of attempted murder, preparation for murder and weapons crimes in Sweden, Denmark and Spain.

The alleged crimes took place during the spring and summer of 2024, prosecutors said.

Sweden has faced a surge in organised crime which is spreading across Europe. In August, Denmark urged Sweden to do more to stop cross-border gang violence and put a stop to armed Swedish teenagers acting as "child soldiers".

The 15-year-old son played a key role in the recruitment and payment of the other teenagers, the police said.

The probe started in May after police detained a Swedish teenager in Benalmadena, a town near Malaga, who had been recruited by the gang to kill a member of a rival biker gang, the police said.

The teenager was sent an assault rifle and an escape plan involving an electric scooter, but he was arrested before he could carry out the murder.

As part of a coordinated operation, Danish police also arrested two Swedish teenagers in May who had travelled to Denmark with the intent to kill, the Spanish police said.

Police said their investigation had also revealed a major criminal network between Sweden and Eastern European countries.