Iran lured Swedish minors into committing acts of terror and violence targeting Israeli and Jewish sites in the Scandinavian country, according to a CNN report.

Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) sources told CNN that the Islamic Republic is leveraging social media to recruit Swedish teenagers, intentionally selecting those so young that they won’t be prosecuted – or will face only minor consequences – under Swedish law.

Gang violence, oftentimes involving participants in their early teens, has exploded in recent years in Sweden.

“It becomes a problem for us when it’s another state like Iran that uses these kids as a proxy,” Fredrik Hallström, head of operations at SÄPO, told CNN, told CNN.

“Organized crime in Sweden right now is a huge vulnerability that is being used by state actors.”

Iranian agents often communicate with teens via encrypted messaging acts, promising them money for carrying out tasks.

Typically, the minors have no idea of the true nature of their activity.

In May 2024, a 15-year-old boy, armed with a gun, was arrested en route to the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm.

The boy told authorities that he had believed he was going to deliver cannabis, but that his handler had ordered him to retrieve a gun stashed in a wooded area near his home.

The handler then ordered him a taxi, with the boy saying he was unaware of the vehicle’s final destination.

The next day, a 14-year-old boy was arrested after shooting at the Israeli Embassy. He too was acting on behalf of an Iranian agent.

The 14-year-old was not prosecuted due to his age, which is standard in Sweden. The 15-year-old was sentenced to 11 months in a juvenile care facility.

An ex-gang investigator told CNN that the teens are motivated by financial rewards, rather than political ideology or antisemitism.

“They are blinded by the hunt for money and status and materialistic things,” Luay Mohageb told CNN.

“They are obsessed with the thought of having cash to go and buy clothes.”

Image - WIN/Israeli embassy in Stockholm, Sweden (Holger Ellgaard/Wikimedia Commons)