Norwegian teen guilty in UK contract killing crime case
A Norwegian teenager has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of travelling to the UK to carry out a paid contract killing for a Swedish organised crime network. Johannes Natland, 19, agreed to shoot an unidentified victim for about £21,500 and was arrested in Huddersfield with two guns before anyone was harmed.
Key Takeaways
- Johannes Natland, 19, of Stavanger, was convicted of conspiracy to murder after an Old Bailey retrial.
- He agreed to kill an unknown target in England for about €25,000 (£21,500) for the Foxtrot Network.
- Armed police arrested him at a Huddersfield hotel in March 2025 with two firearms and 19 rounds of ammunition.
- He is due to be sentenced in October; the intended victim has never been identified.
The verdict, returned after just over 17 hours of jury deliberation, closes a rare cross-border true crime case that prosecutors said was a calculated plan to kill for money.
Who was Johannes Natland and what was he paid to do?
Natland, also referred to in court coverage as Johannes Kongsnes Natland, grew up in Stavanger, Norway. Sources describe him as a promising young footballer and the son of two journalists who later worked part-time in a pizza restaurant.
According to BBC reporting, he was recruited in March 2025 through the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group with links to Iran that Europol has associated with “violence-as-a-service” hiring of teenage killers.
A Foxtrot online tender offered “Killing in England 270k” — about £21,000 — with transport out of the country. Natland asked who was to be killed after joining a chat group named Assassin EU with recruiters known as “Generalen” and “Agent 47”. The potential victim has never been identified.
He told jurors he first thought the plot was a “joke” or “scam” and later claimed he planned to “shoot himself in the foot” to avoid the hit. Prosecutors said he was a troubled but dangerous young man who agreed to kill abroad for money. He pleaded guilty to firearms offences but denied conspiracy to murder.
How was the UK murder plot stopped?
On 17 March 2025, Natland flew from Stavanger to Manchester on an emergency passport. Border Force officers were suspicious and refused him entry, but allowed temporary admission because the next flight home was days away.
Instead of returning, he travelled by taxi to Huddersfield. Guided by Signal messages, he collected cash, a stolen Nissan with a fake plate, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and ammunition, then checked into the Briar Court Hotel.
Norwegian police arrested the teenage recruiter known as Generalen and found messages about an England assassination, warning UK authorities. Counter Terrorism Policing raced to locate Natland. At 5:15am on 19 March 2025, officers arrested him in room 207; he mimed shooting an officer while emerging in boxer shorts. Guns and 19 rounds were found under his bed.
What happens next in this crime case?
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded Natland into custody for sentencing in October. The Crown Prosecution Service said coordinated police work stopped the plot before anyone was harmed and that evidence left no doubt he intended to carry out the killing.
Foxtrot remains a major Swedish crime group linked to Iranian regime backing and sanctioned by the UK and US. Key figures, including leader Rawa Majid, known as the Kurdish Fox, are still sought internationally.