Australian Teen Charged in International Murder-for-Hire Plot

The 15-year-old in Sydney is accused of using encrypted apps and online platforms to outsource murder from thousands of kilometres away.

Composite image by Rex Widerstrom/Epoch Times, ikostudio/4solidwork via Depositphotos

Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in Western Sydney, charging him with two offences relating to conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities allege the boy was working for a transnational criminal syndicate, helping arrange contract killings to be carried out overseas.

The teenager, understood to be Swedish, was arrested after a search warrant was executed at a home in Western Sydney. He appeared before Surry Hills Children’s Court, where he was formally refused bail.

The operation that led to his arrest came from information from the Danish Police, who advised the Australian Federal Police (AFP) that a foreign national living in Australia was allegedly linked to a “crime-as-a-service” (CAAS) operation in Europe.

Similar to software-as-a-service, where someone accesses software online rather than installing it on their own computer, crime-as-a-service contract killings involve individuals or groups outsourcing criminal activities, including murder, to third parties using online platforms and social media.

The boy has been charged with one count of conspiracy to murder using a telecommunications network, and another of “committing a serious offence against a foreign law”—specifically, the Danish penal code. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under Australian law.

Danish Police Deputy Chief Superintendent of the National Special Crime Unit, Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, said the 15-year-old is suspected of attempting to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden, as part of ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region while in Australia.

He said close and effective cooperation between Australian, Swedish, and Danish police had resulted in the arrest.

“This case highlights our collaborative and effective international police cooperation and shows that we are united in our fight against cross-border crime,” Feldt-Rasmussen said.

Australian Federal Police officers escort a 15-year-old, alleged to have used online services to recruit killers overseas, to a waiting car. Courtesy of the AFP

AFP Commander Brett James said criminals often believe that encrypted communication provides anonymity and shields them from law enforcement, but the AFP and its partners were a step ahead.

“The AFP regularly works with foreign policing partners, such as the Danish Police,” he said. “The identification of these alleged international criminal links is a testament to the enduring partnership and collaboration between our agencies.

“If you think you can use geography to evade law enforcement, you’re mistaken—the AFP and its partners are always watching, sharing intelligence, and ready to apprehend those who wish to harm our communities.”

While law enforcement agencies have been monitoring crime-as-a-service operations for some time, activity has historically focused on digital fraud, phishing, and cryptocurrency laundering.

The use of online platforms to recruit people to commit real-world crimes is a newer and more disturbing development.

Earlier this year, Europol said 23 people had been arrested during a cross-border investigation after a drug deal dispute escalated, leading one party to hire Dutch criminals to carry out retaliatory attacks in Germany.

“The criminals might have relied on minors to perform some of the attacks, highlighting the unsettling and increasing trend of crime-as-a-service involving a younger age group,” they said.

A 2024 report (pdf) from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime further underscored the scale of online crime marketplaces.

It found that a single platform facilitating crime-as-a-service activity—providing both a marketplace and an escrow system—was responsible for handling between up to US$64 billion in cryptocurrency annually.