Norwegian Teenage ‘Hitman’ Jailed for 20 Years Over Iranian-Linked Assassination Plot

A Norwegian teenager who flew to the UK to execute a contract killing on behalf of a foreign criminal syndicate has been jailed for 20 years at the Old Bailey.

Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was sentenced on Friday, 16 October, after being convicted of conspiracy to murder following a trial earlier this year.

Natland, of Norway, was ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years in custody.

He had previously entered a guilty plea to possession of firearms and ammunition, receiving a five-year concurrent prison sentence.

The court heard that officers from Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London arrested Natland at a hotel in the early hours of 19 March 2025, just hours before the planned assassination was due to take place.

He had arrived at Manchester Airport two days prior, having been recruited online via social media while in Norway and offered a payment of 25,000 Euros to carry out a shooting in the UK.

Following his arrival, Natland acted under direct digital instruction from an unidentified handler operating under the pseudonym 'Agent 47'.

Digital evidence showed that the handler provided exact directions, maps, pictures, and videos guiding Natland to collect money at an address in Huddersfield, book a specific hotel, and retrieve weapons.

CCTV analysis confirmed Natland travelled by taxi to a wooded area in Huddersfield to collect a hidden bag.

Upon searching his hotel room, police discovered a plastic bag under his bed containing two firearms — a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver — along with 19 rounds of live ammunition.

Investigators linked the instruction to the Foxtrot Network, an organised crime group sanctioned by both the UK and the United States for orchestrating violent acts across Europe against Jewish and Israeli targets on behalf of the Iranian regime. The court was told that the intended target of the hit was never identified, and officers found no evidence of direct state-level contact between Natland and Iranian authorities.

In his defence testimony during the trial, Natland claimed he had no intention of carrying out the murder and had instead planned to shoot himself in the foot to evade punishment from his handlers without fulfilling the contract. The jury rejected his account and returned a guilty verdict on the conspiracy charge.

The court heard that the police investigation into the wider network remains active. Counter terrorism detectives are continuing enquiries to identify accomplices who assisted Natland in acquiring the weapons and a stolen vehicle used in the preparation of the offence.

A 27-year-old man was arrested in September 2025 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and remains released under investigation. Additionally, two men aged 27 and 30 were arrested in Bradford on 20 May on suspicion of handling stolen goods in relation to a motor vehicle and remain on police bail while enquiries continue.