A 19-year-old Norwegian traveled to the United Kingdom with two guns and 19 bullets to commit a murder for hire. The London Anti-Terrorist Police detained him in a hotel before he could act, within the framework of an investigation that remains open and that exposes the tentacles of a criminal organization with links to the Iranian regime.
Johannes Kongsnes Natland19, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder following a two-week trial at the Old Bailey, the central criminal court of England and Wales. He had previously admitted charges of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement. statement.
Natland arrived at Manchester Airport on 17 March 2025. Two days later, in the early hours of 19 March, officers from Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London, supported by West Yorkshire Police and CTP North East, arrested him in his hotel room in Huddersfield. Under the bed they found a bag with a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 19 projectiles.
Airport and hotel security cameras allowed investigators to reconstruct his movements. Footage showed the young man took a taxi to Huddersfield, where he removed the weapons from a hiding place.
On his phone they found messages with precise instructions, including maps, photographs and videos of the exact location of that clandestine deposit.
Instructions from Norway, payment of 25,000 euros and a user called «Agent 47»
The operation was coordinated remotely. While Natland was still in Norway, someone with the username «Agent 47» He sent him messages on social media asking him to carry out a shooting in the United Kingdom, with a suggested reward of 25,000 euros. That same contact told him which flight to take, what to do when he arrived, where to withdraw cash and which hotel to stay at.
During his stay in the UK, Natland also exchanged messages with friends in Norway and sent them photos of the weapons. When one of them asked him if he had already tested the pistols, he replied: «Not at all. They are going to be tested on the guy.»
At trial, Natland attempted to convince the jury that he never intended to commit the crime and that he planned to shoot himself in the foot to avoid the consequences of refusing the mission. The jury rejected that version and found him guilty. The sentence will be handed down at the Old Bailey in October.
The organization that recruited him was identified as Foxtrot Networkan organized crime group sanctioned by the British government and accused of carrying out criminal activities on behalf of the Iranian regime. The identity of the intended victim was never publicly revealed.
The investigation continues. In September 2025, a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and later released under investigation. On May 20, two other people, aged 30 and 27, were arrested in Bradford on suspicion of receiving a stolen vehicle and released on bail.
