A 19-year-old Norwegian was sentenced to 20 years for plotting to kill an unknown target in England as a hired gun for a Swedish crime group linked to Iran.
01Summary
- 01Johannes Natland, 19, was arrested in a Huddersfield hotel in March 2025 with two working guns and 19 rounds of ammunition.
- 02He was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group with ties to the Iranian regime.
- 03Natland admitted possessing firearms and was found guilty of conspiracy to murder at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday.
- 04His intended victim remains unknown, according to Counter Terrorism Policing.
- 05He flew from Norway to Manchester on an emergency passport on 17 March 2025, directed by videos on the Signal app.
02Why it matters
This case highlights the growing threat of 'violence-as-a-service', where young people are recruited by transnational crime networks to carry out murders in other countries. It shows how such groups can operate across borders with apparent links to state actors.
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