280 arrested in international operation against contract violence
280 people have been arrested in a coordinated police operation against paid violence. Norway contributed several dozen arrests.
280 arrested in joint operation against contract violence
280 people have been arrested in an international police operation targeting violence carried out on commission, according to nrk.no. The operation, known as OTF GRIMM, was launched in April last year and involves eleven countries. Sweden has led the effort.
– Sweden is the country we have collaborated with the most. Norway also ranks highly on that scale, Elin Sylte Eikrem tells NRK. She is section leader at the organised crime unit at Kripos.
Norway has accounted for several dozen of the 280 arrests. The arrests have been made across police districts throughout the country, and most of those arrested are men. Eikrem says the cases range from explosions, murder conspiracies, murder and accessory to attempted murder.
Norwegian cases included in European investigation
Kripos reports to OTF GRIMM on behalf of Norwegian police. A review conducted by NRK shows that a number of serious incidents in the past year have been linked to the operation.
Among the cases are the grenade attack in Pilestredet in Oslo and in Strømmen, the shootings in Sarpsborg and at Høybråten, and an abduction in Rælingen. In all of these cases, evidence has been found pointing towards criminal Swedish networks.
Norwegian teenagers are said to have been in direct contact with the wanted Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid in connection with the violent assignment at Høybråten. A Norwegian 17-year-old from Stavanger is also charged with having recruited assassins for the Foxtrot network. The investigation shows that the teenager was in contact with Foxtrot leader Ali Shebab, who was arrested in Iraq.
Hand grenades have been used several times in recent years. A grenade exploded in Pilestredet in the autumn of 2025. An unexploded dud was found at the site and made safe by police after a large area was cordoned off.
400 violent assignments uncovered
Kripos announced before Christmas that Norwegian police uncovered around 400 specific violent assignments in Norway and abroad last year. The assignments were advertised on digital platforms. Police prevented approximately 30 of these during the same period.
– The collaboration has helped us uncover violent incidents that were supposed to happen in Norway and the Nordic region. We have alerted each other and exchanged information that can help us prevent the assignments, says Eikrem.
Recruitment of young people continues
Despite nearly 300 arrests, the recruitment of young people into violent crime continues. Europol points on its website to a case from Denmark, in which an 18-year-old man was arrested in January. He admitted to having been recruited for a murder assignment and used encrypted communication to secure more participants. The price for the assignment was supposed to be around one million Danish kroner.
– It is completely clear to us that investigation and prosecution as single measures are not enough. Therefore, we are attacking the problem from several angles at the same time, says Theodor Smedius, police inspector at the Swedish police's national operations unit.
Police have collaborated with among others Google, Meta, TikTok and Snapchat over the past year to counter digital recruitment and planning of violent acts.
Bill on removal of content
The Swedish government is presenting a bill that will give police the authority to require the deletion of posts on social media. The aim is to prevent criminal recruitment. If the law is passed, platforms must remove such posts within one hour. Breaches risk a fine of between 5,000 and 5 million Swedish kronor, according to SVT.
– Over the past year there has been progress in this area. We see platforms choosing not to implement end-to-end encryption, and in Sweden we have a bill proposal that police should be able to order platforms to remove recruitment advertisements within one hour. That is welcome and necessary, says Smedius.
Swedish police report that they also participate in meetings at EU level, among others in the EU Commission, with the aim of increased information sharing and new legislation.
Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen (Labour) says the result is a product of good police work and that developments are on the right track.
Source: Google News NO — Crime