This week we reveal the deadliest place in Europe to be a young man. It is the suburbs of Stockholm and other major Swedish cities.
That's largely because of gun deaths caused by two feuding Kurdish-controlled gangs has soared.
Travelling through Sweden's bare concrete housing block estates, a 16-year old gave us some understanding of how he was sucked into the world of gangs.
Alan revealed how Rawa Majid, 39, the man know as the Kurdish Fox, rewards his teenage killers despite years of exile. Sitting in the back of a car on the way to an underground interview point, Alan smiles as he talks nonchalantly about the buzz he got from shooting his rival criminals.
“It’s fun. It's crazy for the first two hours when you have done it, then you start to run because you don’t want the police to see you,” he told The National.
He is one of hundreds of teenagers in Sweden involved in the violence. Gangsters such as those in the Foxtrot network, run by Majid, recruit children to attack rivals – in the knowledge that, under Swedish law, anyone under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted.
Rawa Majid, left, known as the Kurdish Fox, and a teenager who spoke to The National as part of an investigation into the Foxtrot Kurdish criminal network operating in Sweden. Nick Donaldson / The National
A mother whose son was shot dead in his car outside the family home warned a culture of fear is gripping Sweden as rival gangs run riot.
Tulun Tas found Emirhan slumped in his car just metres from their home in Norsborg, near Stockholm. With the engine still running, she realised he had been shot. He died in hospital shortly afterwards.
To his mother, Emirhan was a “funny” child who wanted to turn a love for Lego into a career in engineering. Not a day goes by that she does not miss his presence. “[My son] helped me from the day he was eight years old to the day he died,” she said.
Ms Tas has broken her silence to speak out on her fears the 18 year old had been caught up in gang violence that has exploded across Sweden – and her determination to find his killer.
And it is Majid, an internationally wanted gangster, who is directing the gangland warfare.
Dark days
Swedish police said this week that a suspect linked to the Foxtrot network was arrested after the seizure of cocaine in the south-west of the country, weighing at least 200kg. It is one of a series of busts the authorities have made in recent years.
Sweden must abandon its policy of “silent diplomacy” with Iran as it faces a wave of gangland warfare orchestrated by Majid, a leading politician told The National.
Stockholm should publicly call for Iran to hand over Majid, who is hiding there to avoid facing justice for a string of offences, said Alireza Akhondi, who was born in Iran and is a prominent critic of the regime.
Majid’s feud with Ismail Abdo, a one-time close associate nicknamed “Strawberry”, who runs the rival Rumba network, led to a series of tit-for-tat killings.
The Foxtrot boss has also been accused of carrying out attacks on Israeli targets on behalf of Iran, for which he has been placed under sanctions by the US.
Two men found guilty of planning a mass attack in Manchester were plotting for ISIS. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, had a “visceral dislike” of Jewish people and wanted to cause “untold harm”, Preston Crown Court heard on Tuesday.
As is patently clear from the deadly attacks in Manchester and Sydney this year, ISIS-inspired gunmen have formed a new archetype.
In January 2024, the group’s propaganda channels used the aftermath of the Hamas-led attacks inside Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent outbreak of war in Gaza to instruct loyalists to kill Jews wherever they could find them. Investigators reportedly believe this was instrumental in both deadly attacks. In Africa, where ISIS loyalists are besieging important capitals, there is little doubt of the resurgence of its influence as a major local power.
It has been clear for 15 years that ISIS works along existing fault lines to boost its pulling power. It wants to attract people to pledge their loyalty to it and carry out its goals.
Cities in France and Belgium bore the brunt of one phase of the ISIS era that has hallmarks of what is happening today. The faultline that ISIS sought out was centred on laying down differences in lifestyles that could become divisive issues. Last year, the Taylor Swift tour became a target for a plot that had the same objectives.
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
German intelligence warnings
2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
