Sweden: violent extremism and organized crime

Abstract

It is difficult to see any strong connections between, on the one hand, right wing extremism and the autonomous milieu and, on the other, organized crime. This is explained by different social and geographical backgrounds, and for the extremists, a lack of criminal backgrounds with economically motivated offences. However, the points of contact with organized crime are stronger to Islamist extremists whom, to a greater degree, are involved in property offenses and economic crimes (e.g., fraud). Individuals within both Islamist extremism and organized crime have largely the same background and milieu: ‘offender convergence settings’. Some end up in organized crime and some in violent Islamist extremism. The boundary between Islamist extremism and organized crime is becoming weaker than for the other extremist milieus. As a result, there is potential for a greater nexus because individuals can go back and forth between groups and skills and resources can be exchanged.