Europol Arrests Over 190 People, Disrupts Violence-as-a-Service Criminal Networks Recruiting on Social Media Platforms
Published
Key Takeaways
- Significant arrests: Europol's Operational Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM has arrested 193 individuals connected to violence-as-a-service (VaaS) networks.
- International collaboration: OTF GRIMM worked to disrupt criminal groups that recruit young people via social media for violent acts, possibly linked to The Com.
- Cross-border operations: It has successfully intervened in several cross-border cases, including attempted murders and shootings.
Europol's Operational Taskforce GRIMM has made substantial progress in combating the rise of VaaS networks, arresting 193 individuals in its first six months. Launched in April 2025, the task force was established to counter the emerging VaaS trend, where organized crime groups recruit and outsource violent acts predominantly via social media platforms, from intimidation and torture to murder.
This announcement comes after the FBI warned the public about In Real Life (IRL) Com in July, one of three subsets of the growing and evolving online threat group known as The Com, which includes subgroups that provide VaaS on social media, such as shootings, kidnappings, armed robbery, stabbings, physical assault, and bricking.
Targeting the VaaS Recruitment and Execution Chain
The Europol Taskforce GRIMM has focused on crippling VaaS's entire operational structure. The 193 arrests include:
- 63 perpetrators, directly preventing violent crimes
- 84 recruiters who exploit vulnerable young people,
- 40 enablers who facilitate the violence-for-hire services,
- 6 instigators, including 5 high-value targets.
The task force has successfully mapped the recruitment process, which often occurs on social media, and has intervened in multiple plots.
Key successes include arrests linked to an attempted murder in Tamm, Germany, and a triple shooting in Oosterhout, the Netherlands.
Future Plans for the VaaS Crackdown
The fight against these criminal networks is a priority for Europol. OTF GRIMM will continue its VaaS crackdown, and a crucial part of the future strategy involves strengthening cooperation with technology companies to detect and block recruitment activities on social media platforms.
By targeting the infrastructure and recruitment pipelines, the task force aims to prevent the exploitation of young individuals and neutralize the threat posed by these violent criminal networks across Europe.
This international initiative brings together specialized investigators from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to dismantle these dangerous criminal enterprises.
Around the time of the FBI warning, the National Crime Agency (NCA) had warned of a “deeply concerning” trend of online networks of predominantly teenage boys related to “sadistic and violent online gangs”. NCA said these online forums or communities referred to as “Com networks” see offenders collaborate or compete both on and offline in cyber fraud, extremism, serious violence, and child sexual abuse.
Earlier this year, a 19-year-old with past ties to The Com gained access to sensitive U.S. government systems.
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