Alleged Foxtrot Network Leader Charged in Norway for Orchestrating Restaurant Grenade Attack

An alleged key figure within the Foxtrot criminal network, Ali Namdar, 21, has been charged in Norway for orchestrating a grenade attack on a sushi restaurant, which was carried out by a 15-year-old. Namdar, known by the alias 'Joker', was apprehended in Morocco following a request from Swedish authorities and is currently awaiting extradition. He is a suspect in 18 offenses in Sweden, including attempted murders.

Norwegian prosecutors had previously sought Namdar in connection with several offenses in their country. It has now been revealed that he is specifically charged with masterminding the attack on a sushi restaurant in Strømmen, a town located 20km east of Oslo. The teenager involved in the attack was recruited by Namdar via a Signal chat group and subsequently threw a grenade into the eatery on October 22 last year.

Details of the incident surfaced when the now 16-year-old perpetrator pleaded guilty to throwing the grenade in court, while denying involvement in organized crime. The court heard that a Signal user identified as 'Joker' had contacted the teenager and persuaded him to execute the attack. Investigators linked the user to Namdar based on similarities with other cases attributed to him.

Police prosecutor Anja Stenersen confirmed that Namdar has been charged, stating, "we believe he was the mastermind and the one who ordered this attack." At the time of his arrest in Morocco, Namdar was also accused of involvement in other serious crimes, including a separate grenade attack, a shooting, and an abduction.

Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service is investigating whether Namdar trafficked children and young people to carry out attacks. In Sweden, Namdar is wanted for orchestrating the attempted murder of Iranian dissident Arvin Khoshnood, who recounted an incident last September where a 17-year-old approached his home with a knife.

The Foxtrot network, founded by Rawa Majid, and Majid himself, have been sanctioned by the US and UK for conducting attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets on behalf of Iran, often utilizing teenagers recruited through social media. The network has been linked to a surge in gang violence in Sweden, contributing to its high murder rate.

Mohamed Mohdhi, believed to be the network’s second-in-command, was arrested in Tunisia in May on suspicion of murder. In January, Ali Shehab, 21, was accused in Iraq’s Kurdistan region of recruiting children for assassinations, including one involving Norwegian Johannes Natland.