Norwegian Footballer Recruited by Iran-Linked Gang for Assassination Plot in UK

Johannes Natland, a 19-year-old Norwegian footballer from the Stavanger youth academy, was recruited by a Swedish gang working with Iran to carry out an assassination in the UK. Natland left his football team and traveled to Britain with the intent to kill a high-profile target in exchange for 25,000 euros. The gang has been linked to attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets, using teenagers recruited via social media. Natland was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, where police found a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, another gun, and 2,000 pounds in cash. He was convicted of conspiracy to murder. Frank Ferguson, head of the special crime and counterterrorism unit, described the plan as a calculated murder-for-hire scheme, noting Natland was only 18 when he traveled to the UK and agreed to the plot for financial gain. The operation began when a figure called "Agent 47" contacted "The General" to find a hitman for 25,000 euros, eventually connecting with Natland. Upon arrival in England, Natland was questioned and claimed he was visiting friends from online gaming. Before the planned attack, Natland sent a selfie holding a weapon with the caption "this will happen soon" to his girlfriend. During his trial, he claimed he intended only to shoot himself in the leg to avoid consequences if he refused the mission. Natland played 65 games and scored 13 goals for Stavanger's youth team before his involvement in the plot was uncovered.