Europol cracks down on violence-as-a-service network

Insecure network with several red platforms connected through glowing data lines and a black hat hacker symbol

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Europol uncovered a new “Violence‑as‑a‑Service” trend, outsourcing violent crimes to young recruits
Originating in Sweden, the model spread across Europe; OTF GRIMM taskforce formed to disrupt recruitment on social media
In six months, GRIMM arrested 193 suspects (perpetrators, recruiters, enablers, instigators) and seized firearms, preventing further attacks

In the last hlf of 2025, Europol has arrested and detained hundreds of people who were engaged in Violence-as-a-Service (VaaS).

This bizarre and dangerous trend, which many would probably liken to old-school “thugs for hire”, apparently emerged in April this year, and revolves around criminals outsourcing violence to “young, inexperienced perpetrators”.

“These individuals are groomed or coerced into committing a range of violent crimes, from acts of intimidation and torture to murder,” Europol said in a press release.

Hundreds arrested

“Closer cooperation with tech companies is equally important to detect and block recruitment activities on social media platforms, preventing young people from being exploited by these criminal networks,” Europol argues.

Europol says the problem originated in Sweden but has now spread across Europe. Some criminal networks are even operating in multiple countries across the EU. In response, the law enforcement agency set up Operational Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM which primarily focuses on disrupting the recruitment process that mostly takes place on social media.

The law enforcement agency said that most of the recruitment takes place on social media, but did not elaborate where, or how. It did say that going forward, GRIMM will be focusing more efforts on disrupting the enablers, and the criminal service providers.

OTF GRIMM is made up from specialized investigators from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, alongside Europol experts and online service providers.

In the first six months of operations, GRIMM arrested 63 perpetrators, apprehended 40 enablers, detained 84 recruiters, and arrested 6 instigators (including five high-value targets).

Among these suspects there were two people in the Netherlands arrested for an attempted murder in Germany, three people suspected of killing of three people in the Netherlands, and six people (including a minor) suspected of planning a murder. “The operation also led to the seizure of firearms and ammunition, preventing a potential tragedy,” Europol said in the press release.

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Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

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