Teenage Norwegian ‘hitman’ guilty of UK murder plot

A teenager who travelled from Norway to the UK on an emergency passport to carry out a “hit” for a Swedish organised crime group has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

An Old Bailey jury heard how Johannes Natland, 19, was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield with two working guns and 19 rounds of live ammunition in March 2025.

He pleaded guilty to possession of the firearms and ammunition but had denied the conspiracy charge.

Following a retrial, Natland showed no emotion as the jury brought in a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for just over 17 hours.

During the trial opening at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Alistair Richardson said the teen was “recruited” by the Foxtrot Network, which was described as a Swedish organised crime group backed by the Iranian regime.

Natland had claimed rather than carry out the attack, he had planned to shoot himself in the foot, telling jurors he had found himself in “a major pickle”.

The court heard how the Foxtrot Network had been sanctioned by both the UK and the US for its close links to the Iranian government.

The group is infamous for pioneering the relatively new phenomenon of hiring teenage killers that Europol has called “violence-as-a-service” (VaaS).

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