Norwegian teen convicted in UK murder plot

Norwegian teenager Johannes Kongsnes Natland was found guilty in the UK on Wednesday of conspiring to commit murder for Sweden’s Foxtrot organised crime group.

Natland, 19, travelled to Britain in March 2025 to shoot an unknown target for €25,000, but police arrested him at a northern England hotel before the killing could be carried out.

Officers found two firearms and live bullets in a plastic bag under his hotel room bed. Police said he had collected them from a nearby wooded area.

Jurors at London’s Old Bailey found Natland guilty after about 17 hours of deliberations following a two-week retrial. He had already admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition but denied conspiracy to commit murder.

Natland was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing in October.

London’s Metropolitan Police said Natland had been tasked by the Swedish-based Foxtrot organised crime group, which the UK government has sanctioned. Police said the group has been tied to criminality on behalf of Iran.

Foxtrot’s reputed and wanted leader, Rawa Majid, has alleged ties to Tehran. The network has been connected to dozens of violent crimes in Sweden in the late 2010s.

In evidence, Natland claimed he had not intended to carry out the killing and had planned to “shoot himself in the foot” to avoid repercussions if he refused the mission. Prosecutors said he repeatedly lied after his arrest and tried to persuade his girlfriend not to give evidence in phone calls from prison.

The Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit investigated the case. Police said social media messages showed someone using the name “Agent 47” had instructed Natland.

Police said Natland sent friends in Norway pictures of the guns. Asked by a friend whether he had tested the weapons, he replied: “Hell no. They will be tested on the guy.”

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit, said the investigation remained ongoing. Natland’s recruiter, a 17-year-old youth, was convicted in Norway in May 2025 of attempting to contribute to murder. Norwegian police have charged three more people, with prosecutors yet to decide whether to indict them.