The Hague, Netherlands — An international task force set up to crack down on violence as a criminal service has made 280 arrests in its first year, the European Union’s police agency, Europol, said on Wednesday.
The arrests underline a trend across the continent by criminals hiring people – many of whom are young – to carry out acts of violence ranging from assaults to murders in the horror of the gig economy through social media and messaging apps.
“Violence is no longer confined to isolated acts or local dynamics. It is increasingly being offered as a service: accessible, scalable and driven by online ecosystems that enable recruitment, coordination and execution across borders,” Europol said in a statement.
The agency formed the task force last year consisting of police from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In its first 12 months the service identified more than 1,400 people linked to violence.
The arrested suspects include a Dutch national who is accused of being the driver for two minors allegedly responsible for a series of bombings in Germany in July and August 2025; In January, a minor was arrested in Sweden for alleged involvement in a shooting outside a prison in the Dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn.
Europol also posted details of three people wanted for alleged involvement in a so-called violence-as-a-service network on the European Most Wanted site, two of whom are from Sweden and one from Germany. They are wanted for their alleged role in crimes including murder, drug trafficking and money laundering.
