World · Europe · 1 hr ago
Norwegian teenager sentenced to 20 years over UK murder plot
Johannes Natland was sentenced to 20 years' detention for agreeing to carry out a killing in England.
Natland, a Norwegian, was 18 when he travelled to Britain in March 2025 and was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield with two guns and ammunition.
A jury found him guilty of conspiracy to murder after a retrial, although he admitted only to possessing the firearms and ammunition.
He had been recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group linked to Iran's government.
The intended victim has not been identified, and police said they found no evidence of a direct link to Iran in this case.
The plot was stopped before anyone was harmed, after police found messages about it on the phone of the teenager who recruited Natland.
The case highlights how crime groups can recruit young people across borders to carry out violence for money.
Johannes Natland, a 19-year-old Norwegian, was sentenced to 20 years’ detention for conspiring to murder an unknown target in Britain.
He was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group linked to the Iranian government, to carry out the killing for money.
Natland was arrested in a Huddersfield hotel in March 2025 with two firearms and ammunition.
He was convicted after a retrial in July, having admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition but denied conspiracy to murder.
Police said they had not identified the intended victim, and The National reported that there was no evidence of a direct link to Iran in this case.
- Who
- Johannes Natland, a 19-year-old Norwegian, was sentenced.
- What
- He was sentenced to 20 years’ detention after being convicted of conspiracy to murder.
- When
- He was sentenced on Friday, 16 October 2026; he was convicted in July.
- Where
- Woolwich Crown Court in London. The planned killing was to take place in Britain.
- Why
- He agreed to carry out a paid killing for the Foxtrot Network, an organised crime group linked to the Iranian government.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Natland flew from Stavanger to Manchester on an emergency passport.
He was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield with two firearms and ammunition.
Natland was convicted of conspiracy to murder after a retrial.
He was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to 20 years’ detention.
- Sentence
- 20 years’ detention
- Minimum time in custody
- 13 years, according to The National
- Arrest location
- A hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
- Weapons found
- Two firearms and ammunition
- Payment
- 270,000 Norwegian kroner, about £21,000, according to the BBC
4 sources
What people are saying
You agreed to be the enforcer and pursued it, despite numerous opportunities to extricate yourself.
We haven't been able to establish exactly who the intended victim was.
calculated plan to kill for money