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A teenage boy faces life in prison after allegedly trying to recruit contract killers as part of a cross-border gang war involving a ‘transnational crime syndicate’.

The 15-year-old from Sweden was arrested in Sydney,Australia,on Tuesday morning on suspicion of using an encrypted application to facilitate an international ‘cash for killing’ operation.

It is alleged to have been part of ‘ongoing gang conflicts in the Nordic region’,according to Deputy Chief Superintendent Lars Feldt-Rasmussen of the Danish police.

He said: ‘While in Australia,the young man is suspected of having attempted to recruit people to commit contract killings in Denmark and Sweden.’

The boy,who has not been named,has now been charged with two offences – one each in Australia and Denmark.

He faces one count of using a device connected to a telecommunications network with intention to commit a serious offence of conspiracy to murder.

The 15-year-old faces another charge of doing the same with the intention to commit murder.

A computer station at the teenage boy’s home in Sydney (Picture: AFP)

Phones seized during a search of the property (Picture: AFP)

Both carry sentences of life in prison.

Australian police started investigating the alleged crimes earlier this month after a tip-off from their Danish counterparts about alleged links to contract killings in Europe.

Warning criminals that encrypted communications won’t let them avoid detection,Commander Brett James said: ‘If you think you can use geography to evade law enforcement,you’re mistaken.

‘The AFP (Australian Federal Police) and its partners are always watching,sharing intelligence and ready to apprehend those who wish to harm our communities.’