European Teenage Girls Being Used As Assassins in Organized Crime

The global organized crime scene has long been dominated by young men, but a chilling new development has emerged in Europe, where teenage girls are increasingly being recruited as assassins in violent gang conflicts.

Prosecutors report that some teenage girls now volunteer as hitwomen specifically in Sweden, often using encrypted messaging apps to advertise their services. In one case, a 15-year-old girl selected shooting someone "in the head" over a safer alternative, signaling a deliberate embrace of extreme violence. Investigators are finding that teenage girls are offering their services as hitwomen, seeking to prove they are "more deadly and ruthless" than their male counterparts.

280 girls aged 15 to 17 were charged with violent crimes, including murder and manslaughter, though analysts note that only a subset were likely tied to organized networks. Girls are often seen as victims, not perpetrators, allowing their participation in gang operations to slip under the radar.

Sweden's justice minister, Gunnar Strömmer, has acknowledged this dangerous blind spot: societal stereotypes of girls as victims have allowed their roles as perpetrators to go under-scrutinized. Meanwhile, organizations working with vulnerable youth warn that many of these girls suffer trauma, addiction, or sexual violence, compounding their susceptibility to exploitation by gangs.

A 2025 report from the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society highlights the growing involvement of minors in violent offenses. In 2019, just nine under-18 individuals were suspected in shootings leading to injury or death. By mid-2024, that number had more than tripled to 29.

This trend isn't limited to older teens either. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of under-15s suspected of murder-related crimes jumped dramatically, from 27 to 92 to 141, while suspects aged 15–17 convicted of murder or attempted murder rose sevenfold in that same period.

Sweden's justice system may be inadvertently fueling this dynamic. By toughening sentencing rules for adults, gangs have turned to minors, who face lighter, juvenile penalties, for contract killings. In just the first half of 2024, 93 children aged 14 and under were suspected of involvement in murder, up from just 26 the year before.

Digital platforms have become the modern frontier of criminal recruitment. Gangs post offers for violent services on encrypted apps like Telegram, treating killings like "gig" jobs, sometimes with emojis indicating methods (e.g., a water pistol for a shooting, an apple for a grenade).

The reach of these young contract killers crosses borders. One 15-year-old Swedish teen was arrested in Sydney for facilitating murder plots in Sweden and Denmark via encrypted apps. Additionally, at least 25 Swedish youths have been arrested in Denmark for suspected contract killings or bombings.