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   Europol cracks down on violence-as-a-service network   
      
   Date:   
   Tue, 09 Dec 2025 19:10:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Almost 200 people were arrested for all kinds of violent acts.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   In the last hlf of 2025, Europol has arrested and detained hundreds of people   
   who were engaged in Violence-as-a-Service (VaaS).    
      
   This bizarre and dangerous trend, which many would probably liken to   
   old-school thugs for hire, apparently emerged in April this year, and    
   revolves around criminals outsourcing violence to young, inexperienced   
   perpetrators.    
      
   These individuals are groomed or coerced into committing a range of violent   
   crimes, from acts of intimidation and torture to murder, Europol said in a   
   press release.    
      
   Hundreds arrested   
      
   Closer cooperation with tech companies is equally important to detect and   
   block recruitment activities on social media platforms, preventing young   
   people from being exploited by these criminal networks, Europol argues.    
      
   Europol says the problem originated in Sweden but has now spread across   
   Europe. Some criminal networks are even operating in multiple countries    
   across the EU. In response, the law enforcement agency set up Operational   
   Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM which primarily focuses on disrupting the recruitment   
   process that mostly takes place on social media.    
      
   The law enforcement agency said that most of the recruitment takes place on   
   social media, but did not elaborate where, or how. It did say that going   
   forward, GRIMM will be focusing more efforts on disrupting the enablers, and   
   the criminal service providers.    
      
   OTF GRIMM is made up from specialized investigators from Belgium, Denmark,   
   Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,    
   and the United Kingdom, alongside Europol experts and online service   
   providers.    
      
   In the first six months of operations, GRIMM arrested 63 perpetrators,   
   apprehended 40 enablers, detained 84 recruiters, and arrested 6 instigators   
   (including five high-value targets).    
      
   Among these suspects there were two people in the Netherlands arrested for an   
   attempted murder in Germany, three people suspected of killing of three    
   people in the Netherlands, and six people (including a minor) suspected of   
   planning a murder. The operation also led to the seizure of firearms and   
   ammunition, preventing a potential tragedy, Europol said in the press    
   release.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/europol-cracks-down-on-violence-as-a-se   
   rvice-network   
      
   https://tinyurl.com/2j3y7vcn   
      
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