Overview
- An Europol taskforce known as OTF GRIMM tallied 193 arrests over six months in cases where violent acts were brokered online and carried out across borders.
- Authorities report 63 alleged perpetrators, 84 recruiters, 40 helpers and 6 instigators among those detained, with five identified as high‑priority targets.
- Investigators have identified 105 minors linked to these crimes, and ten completed hired murders since the taskforce launched have been attributed to minors.
- Recent operations included arrests tied to a May attempted killing in Tamm, suspects held over a March triple homicide in Oosterhout, and Spanish raids on July 1 that seized firearms and allegedly thwarted a planned murder.
- Europol says the trend first surfaced in Sweden and spread across Europe, calls for closer cooperation with tech platforms and faster real‑time data sharing, and cautions that the known cases likely understate the true scale.