Five arrested in Spain, Morocco and France for ordering violence from abroad
Five suspects linked to organising serious violence for hire have been arrested across three countries. Europol's OTF GRIMM operation targeted instigators, recruiters and facilitators.
Five arrested across three countries in Europol violence-for-hire crackdown
Europol's Operational Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM has secured five arrests in Spain, Morocco, and France, targeting suspected organisers and recruiters behind a violence-as-a-service network, europol.europa.eu reports.
The arrests, carried out during August and September, focused on those at the upper tiers of the criminal structure — individuals suspected of commissioning attacks, sourcing perpetrators, and coordinating crimes from outside the countries where they allegedly took place. Several of those detained were listed as fugitives on the EU Most Wanted website.
In the most recent operation, French authorities, working alongside the Swedish Police Authority and Europol, detained a man in his mid-20s in Paris on 29 September 2026. He is suspected of instigating preparations for murder and is classified as a High Value Target within OTF GRIMM owing to his alleged role in recruiting individuals to carry out violence on behalf of others.
Behind any single attack, investigators say, lies a chain of actors: an instigator who orders and finances it, a recruiter who identifies someone to execute it, and facilitators who arrange weapons, transport, or payment.
Young people, including minors, are being drawn into these networks via social media and messaging platforms, with promises of money, status, or belonging. Those directing the violence exploit this arrangement to distance themselves from the immediate consequences whilst recruits bear the direct legal and physical risks.
OTF GRIMM tracks these connections across borders with the aim of dismantling the networks' ability to commission further violence and draw in new recruits.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)