Image: Image: Supplied (Australian Federal Police)
A Swedish teenager has been charged in Sydney for his role in allegedly organising contract killings in Sweden and Denmark.
The 15-year-old boy is accused of using an encrypted application to facilitate the plans for overseas contract killings on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate.
He was arrested on Wednesday morning after police officers executed a search warrant and raided his family home in western Sydney.
AFP operation into alleged contract killings begins after tip-off from Danish Police
The Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) operation began earlier this month after they received an alert from Danish Police that a foreign national residing in Australia was allegedly linked to attempts to organise Crime-as-a-service (CAAS) contract killings in Europe.
The Australian Federal Police, Danish Police and the Swedish Police Authority issued a joint statement about the arrest.
“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,” Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, Danish deputy chief superintendent of the National Special Crime Unit, said in the statement.
The 15-year-old appeared before Surry Hills Children’s Court and was formally refused bail.
What is CAAS: Crime-as-a-service?
CAAS is a term used to describe the business model of providing cybercriminal tools and services to other criminals.
According to Convergencenetworks.com, these services range from simple phishing kits to complex malware and hacking tools, and they can be used for a variety of purposes, including stealing personal information, conducting Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, or hacking into corporate networks.
Crime-as-a-service contract killings involve individuals or groups outsourcing criminal activities to third parties and using online platforms and social media to plan and execute the illegal acts.
During the raid, police seized electronic devices which will undergo forensic examination.
The 15-year-old was charged with two counts of “using a device connected to a telecommunications network with intention to commit a serious offence”: one count related to “murder” and the other to “conspiracy to murder”.
Both offences carry a possible life sentence.
AFP Commander Brett James said criminals believed encrypted communications could provide anonymity and enable them to avoid law enforcement detection when facilitating horrendous crimes, but the AFP and its partners were a step ahead.
“The AFP regularly works with foreign policing partners, such as the Danish Police, and the identification of these alleged international criminal links is a testament to the enduring partnership and collaboration between our agencies,” Commander James said in a statement.
“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,” Commander James added.
The Swedish teenager is scheduled to reappear before Surry Hills Children’s Court on 11 June.
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