Europol’s ‘From Instigator to Perpetrator’ report exposes how “violence‑as‑a‑service” uses digital platforms to outsource attacks, exploiting minors while protecting masterminds

Europol’s investigative analysis, supported by its Operational Taskforce OTF GRIMM, reveals a four-stage violent chain—instigator, recruiter, enabler, and perpetrator—often involving minors recruited through encrypted social media platforms, gamified tasks, and coded messaging to execute assaults, extortion, or murders at a distance from criminal masterminds…