A BBC report highlights the emergence of teenage hitmen recruited by criminal networks in Europe, with the Foxtrot Network thought to be responsible for roughly 35 murders using so-called violence-as-a-service tactics.
Key facts
- The Foxtrot Network is thought to be responsible for about 35 murders in Europe.
- The network uses violence-as-a-service tactics.
- Teenagers are being recruited to carry out killings across Europe.
- The findings come from a BBC investigation.
Criminal networks in Europe are recruiting teenagers to carry out killings, according to a BBC investigation into the phenomenon of young guns for hire. The report focuses on how organised crime groups are drawing in young people to commit violent acts across the continent.
At the centre of the reporting is the Foxtrot Network, which the BBC says is thought to be responsible for about 35 murders in Europe. The scale of the alleged violence underlines the reach of the group’s operations across multiple countries.
The BBC describes the network’s approach as violence-as-a-service, a model in which acts of violence are offered and carried out on behalf of others. This framing points to an organised, transactional structure behind the killings rather than isolated incidents.
The recruitment of teenagers to perform these acts is a defining feature of the report, raising concerns about how young people are being pulled into serious and often deadly criminal activity.
The BBC investigation shines a light on a pattern that spans borders, connecting recruitment, organised networks and a series of murders across Europe.
Why it matters
The reported use of teenagers as hitmen points to a troubling shift in how organised crime operates across borders, exposing young people to extreme violence. A network linked to around 35 murders raises serious questions for law enforcement and communities across Europe.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Foxtrot Network accused of?
According to the BBC, the Foxtrot Network is thought to be responsible for about 35 murders in Europe.
What does 'violence-as-a-service' mean in this context?
The BBC describes it as a tactic used by the network, in which violence is carried out as a service, though the report does not provide further detail beyond that term.
Who is being recruited to carry out the killings?
The BBC investigation reports that teenagers are being recruited as hitmen to kill across Europe.