Several underage Swedes, in a few cases younger than 15, are suspected of being involved in a spate of violence in Sweden and Denmark.

Johan Olsson, head of the Swedish police national operative department (Noa), told a press conference that previously, gangs almost exclusively recruited youths in physical places in specific areas, but lately they have been turning to the internet to find new members.

“They’ve built up criminal brands and with the help of that, they turn to vulnerable youths in various chat forums and ask if anyone wants a job,” he said. They lure them in by giving them the freedom to choose what to do, for example fire a gun at a door or kill a person.

He said the new recruitment scheme happened “fairly suddenly” and appears to be unique to Sweden.

“I wouldn’t say we’re surprised, but we haven’t seen this anywhere else in Europe, so of course it’s a new phenomenon for us to handle.”