U.S. Sanctions Swedish Gang over Attack on Israel’s Stockholm Embassy

The United States has sanctioned the Swedish gang Foxtrot Network and its fugitive leader, Rawa Majid, for their alleged involvement in a January 2024 attack on Israel’s embassy in Stockholm on behalf of Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department described the Foxtrot Network as an international drug and arms trafficking organization, stating that Majid collaborated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. "Iran’s brazen use of transnational criminal organizations and narcotics traffickers underscores the regime’s attempts to achieve its aims through any means," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Swedish authorities classified the January attack as a terrorist crime after finding a "dangerous object" at the Israeli embassy. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebb Nusch condemned the incident, calling for an end to violent extremism.

Majid, known as the "Kurdish Fox," is accused of orchestrating attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets while also targeting Tehran’s opponents. He allegedly operates from outside Sweden, with reports indicating he was arrested in Iran in October 2023 but remains at large.

The Foxtrot Network is described as one of Sweden’s most violent gangs, involved in shootings, contract killings, and a brutal turf war over the country's drug trade. Its rival, the Rumba organization, is also reportedly used by Iran for targeted operations.

Iran has increasingly relied on criminal networks to carry out attacks while maintaining plausible deniability, according to the U.S. Treasury. Swedish counterintelligence and Israel’s Mossad previously identified Majid and his associates as working for Tehran.

Majid, originally from Iran but possibly an Iraqi citizen, built his criminal network after moving to Sweden. He later relocated to Turkey, where he obtained citizenship through investment. Sweden has requested his extradition, but he continues to evade capture.

The gang violence linked to Foxtrot has destabilized Sweden, with bombings, assassinations, and attacks on criminals' families. Swedish authorities have blamed integration failures for the rise in gang-related crime.

The U.S. Treasury stated it will continue targeting those who further Iran’s objectives, as Washington and its allies seek to disrupt criminal networks linked to Tehran.