Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence and security analyst, said the use of criminal gangs was typical of Iran’s tactics.
He told The Telegraph: “It’s not new that Iran is using proxies, and gangs are no different.
“They use them for all sorts of illicit purposes – from drugs to weapons – and they use people from countries such as Turkey and Kurdistan to do it, so Iran already has this network of criminal gangs.”
He said the recruits have been as young as 14, including those arrested earlier this month for the Stockholm embassy attack, or come from poor backgrounds that make them vulnerable to enticements.
“They’re poor people, easy to recruit, and the Iranians know how to use it,” said Mr Solomon. “They’ve managed to infiltrate all across Europe, usually using routes from the Balkans and Turkey to Europe.”
He said the decision to release details of the investigation so soon after its completion was intended to send a message to Turkey, a key location for Iran to base operations and intelligence gathering as a bridge to Europe.
“Mossad knows that Turkey is turning a blind eye to Iran’s activities through Europe and this is sending a strong message,” he said. Turkey is known to host Hamas leaders in Istanbul.