In recent months, there has been increasing talk of a paradigm shift in cybercrime . What for years was perceived as a predominantly digital ecosystem— consisting of fraud, identity theft, online extortion, and cyberattacks —is now revealing a new, much more brutal face.
Increasingly, criminal activities originating on the web are transcending the virtual space and translating into real-world physical violence , planned, coordinated, and commissioned online. The line between cybercrime and street crime is blurring to the point of almost disappearing, giving rise to a hybrid model in which digital platforms, messaging channels, and underground communities become tools for organizing assaults, murders, and acts of intimidation.
In this context, a 21-year-old Swedish citizen was arrested in Iraq. Police believe he is the main organizer of the so-called “rape service,” a criminal scheme in which clients hire individuals online to commit physical crimes.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, is associated with the Foxtrot criminal network and is wanted on charges of murder planning, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was arrested in December during a joint operation by Iraqi and Swedish police , and extradition proceedings are currently underway.
According to investigators, the young man played a central role in coordinating criminal activities , including recruiting minors to commit serious violent crimes. Swedish police emphasize in particular that the Foxtrot and Dalen networks “systematically exploited children and young people, including adolescents with disabilities.”
The detainee is also on Europol’s priority target list for Operation GRIMM , which aims to combat violent cross-border crime. Another suspect was arrested in absentia in Sweden in connection with the same case, charged with conspiracy to commit murder, destruction of property, and involvement of minors in criminal activities.
Operation GRIMM was launched in April 2025 and brings together investigators from over ten European countries. In the first six months, 193 people, including minors, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in murder plots.
Security researchers have noticed a “dramatic” increase in cybercrime involving physical violence across Europe.
Many members of these groups are also associated with The Com, a predominantly English-speaking hacker community specializing in SIM card theft and extortion. This summer, the FBI raised the alarm: one of the group’s offshoots, In Real Life, posed a growing threat to young people.
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