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

Johannes Netland, 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. Netland 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 behind the plot has been linked to attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets, using teenagers recruited via social media.

Netland was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, England, where police found a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, a second 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 attempt to kill for financial gain, noting Netland was only 18 when he traveled to the UK.

The plot began when an individual known as "Agent 47" contacted "The General" to find a hitman for 25,000 euros. Netland was later contacted and questioned upon arrival in England, claiming he was visiting friends from online gaming. Before the planned attack, Netland sent a selfie holding a weapon with the caption "This will happen soon" to his girlfriend and told her he was going on a "crazy mission" to kill someone.

During his trial, Netland claimed he intended only to shoot himself in the leg to avoid consequences if he refused the mission. Over his youth career at Stavanger, he played 65 matches and scored 13 goals. The assassination plan was foiled by his arrest before it could be executed.