Tehran recruits minors to commit terror attacks in Europe
Concerns are growing that the Iranian regime is operating through a new network of teenage proxies in Europe, following a series of terror incidents committed by minors, according to a Bloomberg report.
Bloomberg flagged the likelihood of a covert campaign by Tehran on Saturday, detailing how Iranian operatives have been using social media to recruit young people to attack Jewish and Israel-related targets in Sweden, Belgium, and Norway.
The Jerusalem Post relayed several examples, including one from Stockholm in May, where an armed 15-year-old boy took a taxi and asked to be driven to the Israeli embassy, despite not knowing its address. Swedish police, who had been monitoring the situation, intervened.
In a second case, a 13-year-old was caught shooting at the headquarters of the Israeli defense company, Elbit Systems, in the city of Gothenburg.
The third example was a 16-year-old with a 23-year-old accomplice, who placed homemade explosives, concealed in thermos flasks, near the main entrance of Elbit Systems at the same location.
The JPost reported that the investigation failed to establish who issued their instructions, but that prosecutors believed the attackers were acting on behalf of a larger network.
Meanwhile, in Belgium, an attack on the Israeli embassy in Brussels was prevented in May, also involving minors, with some as young as 14.
On Oct. 1, the JPost reported that failed attacks targeting first the Israeli embassy and later the Israeli mission in Copenhagen, Denmark were believed to have been carried out by the same individual and linked to Iran.
In the wake of such events, Norway and Sweden have highlighted Tehran’s growing use of organized networks targeting Jewish and Israel-related sites, especially in Nordic countries. The UK's Security Service, MI5, has also issued warnings of an increase in attacks associated with Iran, according to Haaretz.
The Bloomberg report revealed that Iranian operatives use social media platforms such as Telegram and TikTok to recruit young people, offering them financial incentives.
The report cited Petter Nesser, a terrorism researcher from Norway, who said instigators are paying as little as €120 for petrol bomb attacks and €1,500 for more serious crimes, such as murder.
Many of the recruits have been teenagers, some even unaware they are working for a foreign power according to the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO). The low cost and age of the recruits make it difficult to pre-empt, trace, and prevent attacks.
Sweden is now introducing youth detention facilities for children under 15 to deal with the threat, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has made dealing with youth crime a priority, JNS reported.
While politicians in Europe debate measures to tackle such youth violence and criminality, Tehran is making the most of the opportunity to exploit minors in Europe since its proxies in the Middle East have been significantly incapacitated by Israel.
JNS pointed out that this is not the first time Iran has used children for military operations, stating that during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), children as young as nine were used in combat roles, including dangerous mine-clearing operations.
The news source cited UN refugee agency documents indicating that children were given symbolic “keys to paradise” promising they would enter heaven if they died while fighting Iran’s war with Iraq.
Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
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