Teenage hitman facing jail over murder plot for Iran-backed gang

A teenage hitman from Norway is facing jail for plotting a killing on British soil for an Iran-backed international crime gang.

Talented footballer Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, agreed to shoot an unknown target for 25,000 euros (£21,500) in March last year.

Two days after he arrived in the UK on a flight from his home in Stavanger, armed police swooped to arrest him at a hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and seize two guns and 12 live bullets.

Natland admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition but claimed he would have shot himself in the foot to get out of the “pickle” he was in.

However, jurors heard he had lied repeatedly following his arrest and even tried to persuade his girlfriend not to give evidence in phone calls from prison.

Johannes Natland, 19, pretending to shoot an armed officer during his arrest on March 19 2025 (Counter Terrorism Policing/PA)

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An Old Bailey jury found him guilty of conspiracy to murder following a retrial.

On Friday, Natland will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

The court heard how Natland was recruited by another teenager referred to as “Generalen” who was working for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang.

Johannes Natland, 19, with £2,000 in cash spread over a bed. (Counter Terrorism Policing/PA)

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The gang is backed by the Iranian regime and is known for deploying children as young as 13 in drug smuggling and violent crimes.

Natland was controlled by an English-speaking boss called “Agent 47”, in an apparent reference to the Hitman gaming and film franchise.

Under Agent 47’s close direction, Natland took a flight from his home in Stavanger in Norway to Manchester Airport on a temporary passport on March 17 last year.

CCTV captured Johannes Natland at Manchester Airport on March 18 2025 (Counter Terrorism Policing/PA)

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He was stopped by Border Force officials in Manchester who bailed him to return to the airport to catch the next direct flight home.

Instead, he took a taxi to Huddersfield where he picked up £2,000 in cash, two guns and bullets and was directed to a stolen Nissan with false plates to be used in the killing.

From his room at the Briar Court Hotel, Natland bragged to his girlfriend he had got the “bangs in the bag” and took selfies with the guns and cash spread on his bed.

At 5.15am the next day armed police banged on Natland’s hotel room to arrest him.

A smiling Natland emerged wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and pretended to shoot one of the officers with his empty hands.

In a search of his room, police seized a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, 12 rounds of live ammunition, gloves and £2,000 in cash.

At his trial, one of Natland’s footballer friends recalled a conversation with him about “Swedish Foxes”.

The defendant told him: “I’m going to get a lot of money and somebody is going to die.”

Natland had also confided in his girlfriend before leaving for the UK, saying in a message: “I’m going on crazy mission.”

According to her, he said: “Now I can finally kill someone and it’s perfect as I get money to do it. I can kill someone and life will be wonderful.”

Johannes Natland wearing gloves whilst handling a gun. (Counter Terrorism Policing/PA)

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Giving evidence, Natland said he wanted to look “cool” to his peers but it was just “bravado” and inside he was “terrified”.

Natland told jurors: “I wasn’t an international assassin. I thought people had this impression and expected me to be this guy. I knew I wasn’t.”

Despite having supportive parents, his life went downhill after he became addicted to drugs and he was placed in rehab and a care home, he said.

He told jurors how he planned to back out of the shooting, saying: “I was going to look like an idiot but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“Faced with the alternative of being shot in the head, I thought being shot in the foot is better, yeah.”

Natland’s recruiter, a 17-year-old youth known as “Generalen”, was convicted in Norway of attempting to “contribute to murder” in May last year.

Three more people have been charged by Norwegian police with a decision yet to be taken by prosecutors whether to “indict” them.

In September 2025, a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and has been released under investigation.

Two men, aged 30 and 27, were arrested in Bradford on May 20 on suspicion of handling stolen goods relating to a car. They were subsequently released on bail.

The true identity and whereabouts of Natland’s English-speaking controller, Agent 47, remains unknown.