Terror for Profit: The Return of state-sponsorship

State sponsorship

Exploitation of Terrorism by Organized Crime

The spread of agents of the Iranian state has now reached Sweden, as the Swedish Security Service has recently reported:

“The Swedish Security Service has established that the Iranian regime uses criminal networks in Sweden to carry out violent acts against other states, groups, or individuals in Sweden that Iran regards as threats.”

This revelation underscores the use of criminal actors by Iranian agents to undertake actions on their behalf. In Chapter 11 of my book, Terror for Profit, I provide a comprehensive background to this re-emergence of state sponsorship of terrorism and why organized criminals make an attractive proposition as proxy agents for hostile states.

Organized criminals have the means to carry out acts of extreme violence and have the networks to procure weapons. More importantly, they may profit beyond financial reward by acting as proxies for state agents.

“The Swedish Security Service has in the last few years handled several concrete cases in Sweden in which planned attacks, linked to the Iranian security services, have been thwarted. Some of these attacks have used criminal networks as proxies [emphasis added].”

Criminal activities for hostile states will likely directly affect their standing within communities that matter to them. In Part 5 of the book, I delve into these factors, particularly diaspora connections' immediate and significant impact on the global landscape of terrorism and organized crime.