A disturbing trend has emerged in Denmark, where criminal gangs are recruiting “child soldiers” from Sweden to carry out violent attacks. According to Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, at least 25 cases of Swedish youths being used by Danish gangs have been recorded in the past four months alone.
Hummelgaard revealed that gangs, such as the Loyal To Familia (LTF), are outsourcing crimes like shootings and grenade bombings to these young recruits. The minister expressed deep concern over the situation, stating that it is “disturbing that it can take place at all, and it is deeply disturbing that it is now taking place in Denmark.”
The majority of the crimes committed by these “child soldiers” are believed to be linked to an ongoing gangland conflict between LTF and another unidentified criminal network operating in Denmark. LTF was banned in 2018, and its leader, Shuaib Khan, was expelled from the country after being convicted of murder. However, the gang continues to operate, with Khan allegedly pulling the strings from abroad.
Sociologist Aydin Soei explained that LTF members are closely monitored by authorities, making it more practical for the gang to outsource crimes to Swedish youths as “cannon fodder.” Swedish journalist Diamant Salihu revealed that Danish gangs are using social media to recruit these child soldiers, posting ads on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and encrypted messaging services like Telegram and Signal.
The ads often use emojis to describe the desired crimes, with an apple symbolizing a hand grenade attack and a water pistol indicating a murder for hire. The recruitment of child soldiers is a symptom of a broader problem in Sweden, where mass migration has led to the emergence of gang warfare and rampant bombings and shootings.
In response, the Swedish government has abandoned its open-borders policies, with Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stating that “Sweden has stopped being an asylum immigration country.” The move is expected to see more people leave the country than arrive this year, driven by the departures of Iraqis, Syrians, and Somalis, as well as a reduction in those allowed in.
