Iran is hiring minors to attack Israeli, Jewish targets in Europe - report

Iranian-linked operatives have been recruiting minors for attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions across Europe, according to a Bloomberg report on Saturday.

A troubling pattern of incidents in Sweden, Belgium, and Norway has exposed a covert campaign by Tehran to expand its proxy war against Israel into European territories. In Stockholm, a 15-year-old boy boarded a taxi in May with a loaded gun and asked to be taken to the Israeli embassy. However, the teenager, unaware of the embassy’s exact location, had to call an associate for directions. Swedish police, who had been monitoring the boy, stopped the cab before it reached the destination.

In Gothenburg, a 13-year-old was caught firing shots at the headquarters of Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense company. A separate attack at the same facility involved a 16-year-old who, alongside a 23-year-old accomplice, placed homemade explosives near the building’s main entrance. The bombs were concealed in thermos flasks, and while the investigation could not establish who issued their instructions, prosecutors believe the attackers were acting on behalf of a larger network.

These incidents underscore Iran’s broader effort to expand its conflict with Israel beyond the Middle East by exploiting local vulnerabilities in Europe. In Brussels, Belgian authorities thwarted a planned attack on the Israeli embassy in May involving minors as young as 14. Norway, meanwhile, temporarily heightened its terror alert to high in October after reports of Iranian-linked threats. Both Sweden and Norway have issued warnings about Tehran’s growing use of organized crime networks to target Israeli interests.

The aftermath of a failed attack in Stockholm provides further evidence of these operations. On October 1, shots were fired at the Israeli embassy building, prompting a police response. By the time officers arrived, the suspect had already fled on a southbound train to Copenhagen. Later that night, two loud explosions were reported near the Israeli mission in the Danish capital. Security officials suspect that the same individual, also linked to Iran, was behind these incidents.

Social media as a method of recruitment

Iranian operatives are reportedly using platforms such as Telegram and TikTok to reach out to potential recruits, Bloomberg stated. The financial incentives are minimal, with payments as low as €120 for petrol bomb attacks and €1,500 for more serious crimes, such as murder, according to Peter Nesser, a terrorism researcher from Norway. Many of the recruits are teenagers, some unaware they are working on behalf of a foreign power.

Swedish security officials emphasized that some young perpetrators do not grasp the broader implications of their actions. For instance, the Stockholm teenager tracked and arrested before he could reach the Israeli embassy was allegedly unaware of his handlers' affiliations, the report claimed. The same ambiguity surrounds the perpetrators of the Gothenburg bombing, who appeared to be acting under external instructions but with limited understanding of the wider agenda.

Sweden and Norway, long seen as open societies with minimal policing, are now grappling with vulnerabilities exploited by both international crime syndicates and hostile foreign actors. Sweden, where immigrants constitute approximately 20% of the population, has seen rising gang violence and difficulties in integrating new arrivals. In Norway, political leaders have expressed concerns about similar patterns of criminal recruitment crossing the border from Sweden.

The issue has also influenced political discourse, with Sweden’s government introducing youth detention centers to address growing concerns over juvenile crime, Bloomberg stated. Norway, facing elections next year, is debating similar measures, with the far-right Progress Party calling for stricter policies to tackle youth violence.

The incidents are part of a larger strategy by Tehran to destabilize Israeli targets globally. Iran’s regional proxies, weakened by Israel’s military responses in Gaza and Lebanon, appear to be redirecting their focus toward vulnerable communities in Europe. Officials fear that the exploitation of minors, combined with the low cost of attacks, will make such operations increasingly difficult to preempt.

Despite the weakened state of its proxies, Iran continues to pose a significant threat to European security. Security experts warn that the network’s covert activities will require heightened vigilance and international cooperation to prevent further attacks.