Norwegian Teen Jailed 20 Years in UK for Plotting Murder Linked to Iran

A 19-year-old Norwegian national, Johannes Kongees Natland, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the United Kingdom for plotting a contract killing on behalf of the Swedish criminal group Foxtrot, which British authorities believe is connected to Iranian intelligence services. The sentencing took place in London on October 16, with Natland required to serve a minimum of 13 years.

According to Scotland Yard, Natland agreed in March 2025 to carry out a murder in the UK for a fee of 25,000 euros. While in Norway, he received instructions via social media from an individual using the alias "Agent 47." Natland traveled from Norway to Manchester on March 17, 2025, and then proceeded to Huddersfield. He collected payment and located a weapons cache containing a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and ammunition, as directed by his handlers. He was also given the address of a hotel where he was to stay.

Natland was apprehended in his hotel room on the morning of March 19, just hours before the planned assassination. Police discovered a bag containing two handguns and 19 rounds of ammunition hidden under his bed. The arrest was the result of a joint operation between British and Norwegian law enforcement.

During the trial, Natland claimed he had no intention of committing the murder and planned to shoot himself in the leg to avoid the task. However, the jury rejected his defense and found him guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Norwegian newspaper VG reported that Natland's recruitment was handled by another teenager from Stavanger, whom he met in a social care facility. This individual has already been sentenced to 14 years in Norway for involvement in several murders and attempted crimes, with two other teenagers also receiving sentences in the same case.

Natland's Norwegian lawyer, Sakib-Razo Razak, argued that the case should have been tried in Norway due to the recruitment and a significant portion of the evidence originating there. The defense is seeking Natland's transfer to a Norwegian prison.

British police stated that Natland was acting under the direction of an individual linked to the Foxtrot group, which primarily operates in Sweden and is involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and contract killings. The UK and US have previously sanctioned Foxtrot for its role in orchestrating attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe at the behest of the Iranian regime. "Natland was undoubtedly receiving instructions from an individual linked to Foxtrot, an organized crime group against which the UK and US have imposed sanctions for orchestrating violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe in the interests of the Iranian regime," said Helen Flanagan, Head of the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit. She emphasized, however, that investigators could not identify the intended victim or find evidence of direct Iranian involvement in this specific crime. The investigation is ongoing, with British police examining the circumstances of the weapon transfer to Natland and the potential involvement of others.

Israeli intelligence agency Mossad previously established that Rawa Majid, the leader of the Foxtrot group and an Iranian Kurd known as "The Kurdish Fox," was recruited by Iranian intelligence to organize attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe. Mossad linked Foxtrot to an incident at the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm in January 2024, where an unexploded grenade was found near the diplomatic mission. According to Israeli intelligence, Majid was recruited after moving from Turkey to Iran in September 2023.