A Norwegian teenager who flew to England to carry out a killing has been sentenced to 20 years in detention for conspiracy to murder.
Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, a talented footballer, had agreed to shoot an unknown target in return for €25,000 (£21,500), The Guardian reported. He was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and was sentenced on Friday 16 October.
The sentence was handed down at Woolwich Crown Court, according to BBC News. Natland must serve at least two thirds of it.
Recruited by the Foxtrot Network
During his retrial, a jury heard that Natland was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, described as a Swedish organised crime group backed by the Iranian regime, BBC News reported. The network has been sanctioned by both the UK and the US for its close links to the Iranian government.
Before he left, he sent his girlfriend a message reported by BBC News as: “I’m going on crazy mission.”
His controller, an English-speaking boss known as Agent 47, is still unidentified, according to The Guardian.
From Manchester to Huddersfield
Natland flew into Manchester Airport on an emergency passport on 17 March 2025, shortly after his 18th birthday, BBC News reported. Border Force officials told him to return to the airport for the next direct flight home. He took a taxi to a hotel in Huddersfield instead.
According to the BBC, videos on Signal guided him to Huddersfield, where guns, a stolen car and cash were hidden.
Armed police arrested him at the Briar Court hotel, The Guardian reported. The BBC reported that he was stopped after Norwegian police arrested the teenager who had recruited him and found messages about the UK plot on his phone.
Natland admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition. He said he had intended to shoot himself in the foot to get out of the “pickle” he was in, according to The Guardian.
Giving evidence, Natland told jurors, The Guardian reported: “I wasn’t an international assassin. I thought people had this impression and expected me to be this guy. I knew I wasn’t.”
What the Judge Said
At sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said, according to BBC News: “You were recruited to travel to England to kill an unidentified target.”
The Guardian reported her remarks in the televised sentencing: “Although the fact that no one was shot dead or physically harmed is important, I am sure had the intervention of the police not prevented the plan from proceeding, you would have done what you had agreed to.”
The Defence Statement
“Twenty years is a very severe sentence for a boy who was 18 when he was arrested,” his Norwegian lawyers said in a statement, BBC News reported.
They said they would consider the sentence and would work to have him transferred to Norway, the BBC reported.
Target Unknown, No Iran Link Found
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said, according to BBC News: “We haven’t been able to establish exactly who the intended victim was.”
The BBC also quoted her as saying: “The intended target of this specific assassination has never been identified, and we found no evidence of any direct link to Iran in this case.”
Counter Terrorism Policing is still investigating those suspected of helping Natland obtain the firearms and stolen car, according to the BBC. In September 2025 a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and released under investigation, the BBC reported.
Buzzline’s other court reporting is in the Crime & Courts section.
Sources: BBC News, “Norwegian teen ‘hitman’ Johannes Natland jailed over murder plot”, 16 October 2026 (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw8rzpl1ldkdo); The Guardian, “Norwegian teenage hitman hired for UK murder by Iran-backed crime gang jailed for 20 years”, 16 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/16/norwegian-teenager-hired-hitman-iranian-gang-jailed-20-years)
Photo: DanielMichaelPerry, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Illustrative: the royal coat of arms outside Isleworth Crown Court in west London. Natland was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court.
The sentence
- 20 years’ detention, at least two thirds to be served
- Offence: conspiracy to murder
- Arrived in England: 17 March 2025, Manchester Airport
- Sentenced: Woolwich Crown Court, Friday 16 October 2026
All lines: BBC News.
