Two deported from Iceland sentenced in Sweden for paid violence

Two people deported from Iceland have since been sentenced in Sweden for commissioned violent crimes, chief superintendent Karl Steinar Valsson told mbl.is. He said police are increasingly concerned about people being paid to carry out violence despite having no personal connection to the disputes behind it.

Valsson, head of the National Commissioner of Police’s security and analysis division, said the practice has recently been associated with Sweden in public discussion, but that it also has links to Iceland. In at least one case, he said, a person was deported before committing an offence in Iceland.

He described how people can offer specialised violent services to criminal groups without having a stake in the matter or personal ties to those involved. They may be hired to kill someone or assault them to send a message on behalf of a group. Some are paid for the work and may be required to prove they carried it out.

Police are investigating the killing of a man on Kársnes earlier this year as a possible commissioned attack, Valsson said.

He also raised concern about children being recruited to commit crimes, including serious violence. Children below the age of criminal responsibility may be asked to carry out offences without fully understanding the consequences. In some cases, they are arrested before receiving payment, and may know little about how it was meant to reach them.

Valsson said police had not yet identified similarly clear cases in Iceland. However, investigations conducted with foreign authorities had found links to Iceland, including possible online encouragement of crimes abroad involving people connected to Iceland.

He said Icelandic police were seeing patterns also observed elsewhere in Europe, and that tackling them required more than a tactical police response. Investigations, data analysis and technical expertise were also needed to uncover the crimes and their cross-border links.