Europol has identified over 14,000 accounts linked to the online recruitment of minors.

Omissions

• The claim does not specify that the 14,000 accounts relate specifically to the recruitment of minors for criminal activities — in particular violence-as-a-service (shootings, bombings, and other violent acts) — rather than all forms of online recruitment of minors.
• The time period is not specified in the claim; the data covers approximately one year of monitoring prior to April 2026 (likely 2025).
• The two secondary sources found (nltimes.nl and DutchBrief) both appear to draw from the same underlying Europol announcement or report, limiting full cross-verification independence.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropol — Operational Taskforce GRIMMViolence-as-a-service (VaaS) refers to the outsourcing of violent acts to criminal service providers — often involving the use of young perpetrators recruited online. The task force targets the online recruitment of minors for criminal activities across the EU.
• SecondaryNL TimesLast year, the Europol task force identified 14,000 accounts where such ads were posted. According to investigators, these networks all have links to criminal organisations and are active across Europe.
• SecondaryDutchBriefIn the past year alone, the task force identified 14,000 accounts on which criminal 'jobs' were being posted — from shootings and bombings to arson and assault.