Sweden sends top officials to Tunisia over gang threat

SVT reported that on Tuesday morning, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer and Deputy National Police Chief Stefan Hector flew from Sweden to Tunisia aboard a government aircraft. The journey was deliberately kept confidential until the final moments, with officials concerned that premature disclosure could upset sensitive contacts with the Tunisian authorities, according to SVT. The urgency stemmed from an acute threat to Sweden's internal security, which SVT described as linked to six high-ranking members of the Foxtrot network operating in Tunisia.

While the official purpose of the mission is to negotiate a formal cooperation agreement with Tunisia, Swedish authorities have made it clear, according to SVT, that the underlying objective is to systematically weaken the Foxtrot network. By securing Tunisian collaboration, Stockholm aims to disrupt command structures and restrict the freedom of these individuals, who are believed to be orchestrating violence in Sweden from abroad.

The six men singled out by Swedish police are identified as key leaders within Foxtrot, operating directly under the network's fugitive figurehead, Rawa Majid, as reported by Swedish media.

According to recent reports from Tunisia, the legal proceedings against the five detained Foxtrot members have reached a critical juncture, with Tunisian authorities weighing extradition, local prosecution, or continued detention.

According to SVT, Swedish police have encountered significant difficulties in tying the five men to most of the crimes committed under the pseudonym 'Kill everyone', because encryption and anonymization tools made it impossible to identify which individual was behind the chat alias, and investigators have only been able to establish concrete suspicions in a single case: the murder in Skogås.

Among the most wanted is Mohamed Mohdhi, a former rapper known as Moewgli, whom authorities suspect ordered the Skogås murder, according to SVT. He is detained in absentia and featured on Europol's Most Wanted list. Intelligence assessments cited by SVT place Mohdhi as Foxtrot's second-in-command, with the capacity to direct operations even while other leaders are in custody, making him a pivotal target for Swedish law enforcement.

SVT has reported that Mohdhi is believed to have orchestrated the most recent wave of violence in Sweden approximately one month ago. This included allegedly instigating a 15-year-old girl, who subsequently murdered two people in the suburbs of Vårby and Malmö.

Police mapping suggests that around 800 criminals based overseas are actively involved in crime in Sweden, with approximately 40 of them designated as key actors. Deputy National Police Chief Stefan Hector told SVT that these individuals can be leaders, financiers, or recruiters, with the highest concentrations found in Iraq, Turkey, Dubai, and Morocco. However, SVT's own mapping pinpoints exactly 45 such figures scattered across 12 countries, with the largest groups in Turkey (13), Iraq (10), and Tunisia (6).

SVT reported that Justice Minister Strömmer and Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammar recently signed a memorandum of understanding designed to strengthen bilateral law enforcement collaboration. The Swedish Ministry of Justice said the agreement aims to enhance operational cooperation against organized crime, following earlier steps to formalize cooperation with Iraq.

SVT reported that Poya Shafie, a close associate of Rawa Majid, has been arrested in Iraq, and Swedish prosecutors are now seeking his extradition. In another notable case, Mikael Ahlström Tenezos, a designated gang leader, was arrested in Mexico and recently extradited to Sweden, where he is now detained on serious charges, according to multiple media reports. A separate Foxtrot leader was extradited from Iraq after two years, highlighting the growing effectiveness of international police cooperation against Swedish gang structures.

According to multiple reports, a police delegation, again accompanied by Minister Strömmer, plans to travel to Morocco and hand over a list of priority targets. SVT has identified at least three men from West Sweden criminal networks currently in Morocco whom Swedish authorities are eager to have extradited. These include a leader of the Backa network in his 40s, who is internationally wanted and appears on Europol's Most Wanted list; another man in his 40s with an unserved drug sentence and ties to large-scale smuggling; and a third man in his 30s, already detained in absentia for serious drug crimes following a major seizure in 2020.

Swedish police have described such trips as part of a deliberate strategy to build trust with foreign counterparts, facilitating the apprehension of gang leaders operating across borders and closing the net on fugitives.

According to SVT, Deputy National Police Chief Hector has expressed interest in deepening cooperation with Tunisia and Lebanon, noting that these countries are becoming increasingly important in tracking and arresting key actors who fuel violence in Sweden.

Despite the flurry of diplomatic and police activity, significant uncertainties remain. The exact terms and timeline of any cooperation agreement with Tunisia are still undetermined, and it is unclear whether the North African nation will extradite the six Foxtrot members or handle their cases domestically, while judicial proceedings in Tunisia remain at a delicate phase without a resolution in sight. Mohamed Mohdhi's exact whereabouts are an open question, though Swedish authorities suspect he may be in Tunisia, according to SVT. In Morocco, the success of the upcoming mission depends on local cooperation; Deputy National Police Chief Hector told SVT he hopes the targeted individuals will be arrested and either extradited to Sweden or imprisoned in Morocco.