londonAP —
A Norwegian teenager was found guilty in a London court on Wednesday of traveling to Britain and committing commissioned murders on behalf of an international criminal organization with links to Iran.
Prosecutors said Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, agreed to shoot a stranger in March last year for 25,000 euros ($28,000). However, two days after arriving in the UK, he was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield, northern England, with two guns and ammunition.
A jury at Central London Crown Court found Natland guilty of conspiracy to commit murder after deliberating for more than 17 hours.
Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism officers said in a statement that Natlund, who was working part-time at a pizza restaurant at the time of his arrest, was recruited by a Swedish organized crime group known as the Foxtrot Network, which has ties to the Iranian government.
“Although the target of the murder plot has not been identified, (counter-terrorism) officers in London have found substantial evidence that Mr Nutland was fully aware that he was being asked to kill someone in the UK,” the statement said.
Natland was hired by a 17-year-old young man known as “Genelen.” A Norwegian court last year found the boy guilty of attempting to be an “associate in murder” and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. A 16-year-old boy is awaiting trial in Norway for his role in the conspiracy.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Natland told his girlfriend he was going on a “crazy mission” before traveling to the UK.
After retrieving the weapon, the man texted her to say “I’m hearing noises in my bag,” and sent her a selfie with the firearm, captioned, “It’s going to happen soon,” according to CPS.
According to the CPS, he was arrested by firearms officers in a hotel room on March 19, 2025.
Last year, the British government announced sanctions against the Foxtrot Network and its leaders “for their involvement in violence targeting Jews and Israelis in Europe on behalf of the Iranian regime.”
The sanctions include an asset freeze that prohibits British companies from handling funds or other economic assets controlled by the organization.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS’ special crime and counter-terrorism unit, said the plot was a “murder for money scheme”.
“This case shows how organized crime networks operate across borders and exploit young people to carry out serious violence,” Mr Ferguson said.
