'Guy's door or head? She chose head': Teen girls now hitwomen in Sweden's deadly gang wars
Stockholm prosecutor Ida Arnell said more teenage girls are offering their services on encrypted platforms used by gangs, seeking out violent assignments.
To prove they're as ruthless-if not more so-than their male counterparts, teenage girls are increasingly are hiring themselves out as hitwomen in Sweden's deadly gang wars.
Stockholm prosecutor Ida Arnell said more teenage girls are offering their services on encrypted platforms used by gangs, seeking out violent assignments.
"I had a case involving a 15-year-old girl recruited to shoot someone in the head," AFP news agency quoted Arnell. "She was able to choose the type of mission she wanted, in other words, to aim at the guy's door or his head. She chose the head," Arnell said.
The girl was arrested along with a 17-year-old male accomplice who pulled the trigger, leaving the target critically injured after being shot in the neck, stomach, and legs.
According to Arnell, “Girls have to show that they are even more determined and tougher [than boys] to get the job”.
‘Thirsty for blood’
Last year, some 280 girls aged 15 to 17 were charged with violent crimes-including murder and manslaughter. While it's unclear how many were gang-related, experts warn that authorities have long overlooked the role of young women in Sweden's organised crime networks.
{{/usCountry}}Last year, some 280 girls aged 15 to 17 were charged with violent crimes-including murder and manslaughter. While it's unclear how many were gang-related, experts warn that authorities have long overlooked the role of young women in Sweden's organised crime networks.
{{/usCountry}}These gangs, which have transformed Sweden's crime landscape over the last 15 years, now recruit teenagers-some younger than 15-to carry out killings, bombings, and assaults.
{{/usCountry}}These gangs, which have transformed Sweden's crime landscape over the last 15 years, now recruit teenagers-some younger than 15-to carry out killings, bombings, and assaults.
{{/usCountry}}"In general the young kids are thirsty for blood on these chats," Arnell noted.
{{/usCountry}}"In general the young kids are thirsty for blood on these chats," Arnell noted.
{{/usCountry}}Sweden's justice minister Gunnar Strömmer pointed out the gap in understanding. "Girls are often identified as victims... but their participation in criminal circles is much more widespread than what we have long assumed," he said, warning that stereotypes could prevent both justice and proper intervention.
{{/usCountry}}Sweden's justice minister Gunnar Strömmer pointed out the gap in understanding. "Girls are often identified as victims... but their participation in criminal circles is much more widespread than what we have long assumed," he said, warning that stereotypes could prevent both justice and proper intervention.
{{/usCountry}}Organisations working with vulnerable youth say these girls are often victims too – suffering from addiction, untreated trauma, and sexual violence.
KSAN, an umbrella organisation of groups dealing with drug and alcohol abuse among women, said in a report that two-thirds of girls involved in drug-related crimes had experienced sexual assault.
Natalie Klockars, now 28, started selling drugs at 19. "After a month I had more than 300 clients... People trusted me. Nobody suspected me," she said.
Her drug empire grew-until violence caught up. At 23, she was abducted while pregnant and forced to watch her best friend nearly executed. "I knew this was not the life I wanted to give my daughter," AFP quoted her. The day her daughter was born, she left crime behind.
Sweden continues to battle gang violence, with several high-profile shootings this year and top gang leaders, including Ismail Abdo and Rawa Majid, orchestrating operations from abroad.
