Norwegian Youth Admitted to Traveling to UK for Contract Killing, Jury Told

A Norwegian teenager traveled to Britain to execute a contract killing for a Swedish organized crime syndicate with ties to Iran, a court has been informed.

Johannes Natland, 19, was taken into custody at a Huddersfield hotel on March 19, 2025, after arriving in the country using an emergency passport. He was found in possession of two firearms and twelve rounds of ammunition. Prosecutors claim that Natland retrieved these weapons from a concealed location within a wooded area in West Yorkshire.

Natland has entered a guilty plea regarding charges of possessing two operational firearms—specifically a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver—along with twelve rounds of live ammunition. However, he denies the more serious charge of conspiracy to murder.

During the prosecution’s opening statement, Alistair Richardson stated that Natland was "recruited by an organization known as the Foxtrot network." Under the terms of this arrangement, Natland was promised payment in exchange for traveling to the UK to "undertake a hit." The court heard that associates directed him to a hotel, where he also located a stash of money and the aforementioned weapons.

Richardson informed the jury that the Foxtrot network is a Swedish criminal group utilized by the Iranian regime. "We do not know who the defendant was planning to murder," Richardson told the court, noting that Natland was stopped from carrying out the killing when officers arrested him inside his Huddersfield hotel room.

The jury was presented with a series of text messages exchanged in March 2025 between another Norwegian youth, operating under the alias 'Generalen', and a user named 'Agent 47'. These communications allegedly discussed an assassination plot after a previously assigned hitman withdrew from the plan. According to the prosecution, Agent 47 messaged Generalen: "Brother, sort an assassin abroad. Urgent. Europe." The prosecutor added that Agent 47 mentioned there was €25,000 available for the job. When Generalen inquired about the target's location, Agent 47 responded: "Great Britain. As easy as can be."

By March 15, Generalen had been in contact with Natland. The court heard that Natland subsequently messaged his girlfriend, describing his upcoming trip as a "crazy mission." The following day, Agent 47 arranged a flight booking, but it became evident that Natland’s passport had expired. Two days later, Natland secured an emergency passport and proceeded to Stavanger Airport to catch a flight to Manchester.

The prosecution alleged that during his journey, Natland received warnings that Generalen had been arrested. "Before the defendant set off to the United Kingdom he was well aware that one of the people who had recruited him had been arrested for conspiracy to murder," Richardson told the jury. "The defendant's response to those messages was not to pull out of what he was doing. Not to stop."

Upon arriving in Manchester, Natland was detained by border officials due to having only £40 in cash, no pre-booked accommodation, and no return ticket. He claimed he was visiting friends with whom he played online games. Although UK Border Force officers wished to contact his mother, Natland insisted he was 18 years old. Officers denied him entry but permitted a temporary stay to allow for a flight back to Norway four days later, a decision Richardson described as a "surprising result."

The next day, Natland took a taxi to West Yorkshire and, following instructions from Agent 47, checked into the Briar Court Hotel in Huddersfield for a three-day stay. The trial heard that an account on the Signal messaging app guided Natland to a "hide" at the base of a tree in a wooded area. "It is apparent from the messaging that he picked up the guns and ammunition," Richardson told the court.

Prosecutors allege that Natland subsequently purchased three pairs of rubber gloves from a supermarket and was directed to a stolen vehicle. "Plainly, the car was to be used for the murder planned for the following day," Richardson told the jury.

The jury heard that a friend of Natland messaged him that night asking, "Come on, u dun it?" Natland replied, "No tomorrow." When his friend asked if he had tested the weapons, Natland responded: "Hell no. They will be tested on the guy," according to the trial records.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-03 12:55:45 UTC