Norwegian teen convicted of UK murder plot linked to Iranian-backed Swedish crime gang
Consensus Summary
A Norwegian teenager named Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was convicted of conspiracy to murder in the UK after being recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish crime group linked to Iran. Natland was arrested in March 2025 in Huddersfield with two guns and ammunition after traveling from Norway to carry out a killing for €25,000. He was caught two days after arriving in the UK, and a jury deliberated for 17 hours and six minutes before finding him guilty. Natland claimed he agreed to the plot for money but later tried to back out. The case involved multiple young individuals, including a 17-year-old convicted in Norway for recruiting Natland and a 16-year-old awaiting trial. The Foxtrot Network remains active, with key figures like Poya Shafie sentenced to life imprisonment in June, while others, including its leader, remain fugitives. Natland’s sentencing was scheduled for October, and prosecutors emphasized the dangers of organized crime networks exploiting young people for violent acts.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was convicted of conspiracy to murder in the UK
- Natland was arrested in March 2025 in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with two guns and ammunition
- Natland was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group linked to Iran
- Natland was offered €25,000 (£21,500) for the killing
- Natland was arrested at 5.15am after arriving in the UK
- A 17-year-old was convicted in Norway in relation to the plot
- Natland was remanded into custody to be sentenced in October
- Natland was arrested two days after arriving in the UK
- Natland was found guilty after a jury deliberated for 17 hours and six minutes
- Natland was arrested on 17 March 2025
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Natland worked part-time in a pizza restaurant
- Natland began taking drugs aged 13 and spent time in a care home
- Natland was stopped by Border Force in Manchester and bailed to return home but instead took a taxi to Huddersfield
- Natland picked up £2,000 in cash, two guns, bullets, and a stolen Nissan with a fake number plate
- Natland was controlled by an English-speaking boss called 'Agent 47'
- Up to 30 of the wanted Swedes arrested outside Sweden had connections to Foxtrot in June
- Poya Shafie, a key figure in Foxtrot, was sentenced to life imprisonment in June after being arrested in Iraq
- Natland mimed shooting officers with his empty hands during arrest
- Natland told jurors he planned to 'shoot himself in the foot' to avoid the assassination
- A 16-year-old in Norway is awaiting trial for alleged involvement in the conspiracy
- The 17-year-old convicted in Norway was sentenced to 14 years
- Natland admitted possessing a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and ammunition but denied conspiracy to murder
- A jury at Natland’s initial trial in June could not reach a verdict on conspiracy to murder charges
- Natland was recruited by someone using the name 'Agent 47' for €25,000 ($40,000)
- Natland neither knew nor cared who he was to kill, saying it was about the money
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Natland was arrested after arriving in the UK on 17 March 2025, while ABC does not specify the exact date of his arrival but confirms arrest in March 2025
- The Guardian mentions Natland was arrested two days after arriving in the UK, while ABC states he was arrested in March last year without specifying the exact timing of his arrival
- The Guardian says Natland was remanded to be sentenced in October, but ABC does not mention a specific sentencing date
Source Articles
Norwegian teenager guilty of travelling to UK to carry out contract killing
Johannes Kongsnes Natland was recruited to murder unknown person by international crime gang linked to Iran A Norwegian teenager has been found guilty of travelling to England to carry out a killing ordered by an international crime gang linked to Iran. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, from Stavanger, Norway, agreed to shoot an unknown person for €25,000 (£21,500) in March last year. Two days after he arrived in the UK armed police arrested him in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, seiz
Norwegian teen guilty of UK murder plot tied to Iran-linked group
Police arrest the teen just two days before the planned hit on an unidentified person, after he arrived in the UK on an emergency passport.