As part of an international task force combating organized commission crimes, 280 suspects have been arrested within one year. This information comes from an internal assessment by the European Police Agency, Europol, and was reported by the “Welt” (Wednesday edition). These reports indicate that six of the arrested individuals are considered high-profile targets.
Among the detainees, 180 are classified as masterminds, while another approximately 100 were minors who committed the commissioned acts. The Operational Task Force (OTF) GRIMM was established in April 2025 to tackle structures where acts of violence, such as contract killings, are organized and mediated through criminal networks. Europol states that eleven countries are involved in this effort, including Germany, France, Sweden, and Great Britain.
Furthermore, authorities plan to publish several suspects on the “EU Most Wanted” platform starting April 29th, as part of the investigation into alleged masterminds. Europol has detailed that these warrants include two men from Sweden, sought for crimes ranging from murder to attempted murder, as well as a German citizen accused of organizing killings, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
In the course of these investigations, the authorities successfully identified more than 14,000 online accounts linked to related activities. According to the police agency, international collaboration has been instrumental in preventing several violent crimes, including attempted murders that occurred in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. These prevented incidents also involved the participation of minors.
