Crimeupdated 1h ago2 min read
Johannes Kongsnes Natland Sentenced To 20 Years For UK Conspiracy To Murder
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Johannes Natland, 19, Norwegian, sentenced to 20 years detention for conspiracy to murder. Recruited by a Swedish crime group linked to Iran; arrested in Huddersfield with firearms.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Jennifer Lamanna Stole $280,000 From Venice, Florida Bank Vault, DOJ Says →
Natland’s UK plot
Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was sentenced to 20 years detention at Woolwich Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to murder for a planned killing in Britain. Natland agreed to shoot an unknown target for 25,000 euros, and police arrested him in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with two working guns and 19 rounds of live ammunition.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: "We haven't been able to establish exactly who the intended victim was." Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Natland: "You were recruited to travel to England to kill an unidentified target."
Recruitment and arrest
Prosecutors said Natland was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, described as a Swedish organised crime group backed by the Iranian regime, and the court heard the plan was arranged online through social media platforms. Natland flew into Manchester Airport on an emergency passport on 17 March 2025, and armed police arrested him in Huddersfield after he was guided by videos on the messaging app Signal.
The court heard Natland was at the Briar Court Hotel with two handguns hidden under his bed when police arrived, and he mimed shooting an officer with his hands. Natland told jurors: "I wasn't an international assassin."
Foxtrot Network links
The Foxtrot Network has been sanctioned by both the UK and the US for its close links to the Iranian government, and the court heard it used an arm's-length method of recruiting young people to carry out violent crimes. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the Foxtrot Network "has developed an arm's-length method of recruiting young people to carry out violent crimes."
Natland’s sentencing followed a retrial after a first jury failed to agree on a verdict, and the Old Bailey previously heard he was arrested in March 2025 with two working guns and 19 rounds of live ammunition. The court heard Natland was recruited by another teenager referred to as "Generalen," and the judge said Natland was "just 18 years old when you placed yourself in readiness to murder for money."