Teenage Norwegian hitman guilty of plotting to assassinate UK target on behalf of Iran-backed gang

A teenage Norwegian hitman has been convicted of plotting to carry out an assassination in the UK on behalf of an Iran-backed gang.Johannes Natland, 18 at the time, flew from Stavanger, south-west Norway, to Britain to kill a target in return for £21,000, the Old Bailey was told.He was thwarted when he was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on March 19 last year, two days after his arrival.Police found a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 12 rounds of ammunition in his possession, as well as £2,000 in cash, the court heard.Prosecuting, Alistair Richardson said Natland was 'committed to the task of murder'. Johannes Natland, 19, travelled from the oil-rich town of Stavanger, south-west Norway, to assassinate a target in the UK 'in return for money', the Old Bailey was told He told the jury: 'The defendant is a dangerous young man - a young man who agreed to kill, to be an assassin, in a foreign country, for money.'He signed up to an agreement to kill without any knowledge or care for the person he was to kill - a young man who was excited about killing and excited about the money he would receive. Who thought it would make him rich.'The murder plot was hatched by a Swedish gang called the Foxtrot Network, a ruthless organised crime group used by the Iranian regime.The jury was not told that Foxtrot boss Rawa Majid, nicknamed the Kurdish Fox, is thought to have struck a deal with Tehran to use the criminal network he set up for smuggling drugs into Sweden to conduct attacks on the regime's enemies.The UK sanctioned Majid and Foxtrot in April last year for their involvement in violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe.The attacks included one by a 13-year-old who was arrested after firing shots outside the offices of the Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg.Natland became involved in the Huddersfield plot when he received a message on Signal about a 'murder in England' from a user called 'Unknown Hustler', the Old Bailey was told.Natland - who is now 19 - was then added to a group chat with a Norwegian recruiter and a shadowy Foxtrot figure known as Agent 47, who had ordered the hit. Natland, 19, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder following a two-week trial at the Old Bailey. He had already admitted possession of firearmsThe defendant flew from Stavanger to Manchester on March 17.He was questioned by suspicious Border Force officials and ultimately refused entry to the UK - but was told to return to the airport for a flight home four days later.This meant Natland was free to enter the country and he took a taxi to a hotel in Manchester.The following day, he was directed by his recruiters to a wood in Huddersfield to collect the guns and ammunition.After checking in at a nearby hotel, he messaged his girlfriend to say: 'In the bag is bang.' At 10.39pm that evening a friend asked Natland: 'U dun it?' and he replied: 'No. tomorrow.'But at 5.15am on March 19, firearms officers arrested him in his room at the Briar Court Hotel in Huddersfield. He came to the door with his hands up, imitating holding a firearm, and pretended to shoot one of the officers.Natland admitted possession of the firearms but denied conspiracy to murder.Giving evidence, he said he was 'terrified' and planned to sabotage the plot at the last minute by shooting himself in the foot.He said he had not backed out earlier because he feared Foxtrot would kill him.But the prosecution suggested Natland's plan was a 'lie', arguing that he had boasted to his friends about the mission.The court heard the teenager also told his then-girlfriend that 'it will be a bit cool to really kill someone'.Giving evidence, Sara Solbi, 19, said Natland told her: 'If I don't get caught we have to celebrate.' Natland was found with £2,000 in cash in his hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire Johannes Natland holds a semi-automatic pistol that he picked up in a wood in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The gun was later found in his hotel room alongside a revolverThe intended target remains unknown, but Natland 'neither knew, nor cared' who he was to murder, the prosecution said.Natland was a talented student and footballer before getting hooked on drugs including cannabis, LSD and cocaine, the jury was told.The defendant told the court he agreed to the job because he 'wanted some money' and 'was going to buy a lot of drugs'.He said at first he thought it might be a scam, but as the mission drew closer it dawned on him it was 'real'. 'I thought I am in a bit of a pickle here,' he added.The teenager admitted he had 'made a lot of bad choices'.Frank Ferguson, Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: 'This was a calculated plan to kill for money.'Johannes Natland was just 18 when he travelled to the UK, having agreed to carry out a murder on behalf of others for financial gain.'This case shows how organised crime networks operate across borders and exploit young people to carry out serious violence.'Thanks to swift and coordinated police work, this plot was stopped before anyone was harmed.'The evidence in this case - including telephone evidence, text messages, CCTV footage and witness testimony - clearly left no doubt that Natland intended to carry out this crime.'This conviction sends a clear message: if you come to this country to commit serious violence on behalf of organised criminals, you will be caught and we will make sure you are brought to justice.'Natland was found guilty of conspiracy to murder following a retrial after the original jury failed to reach a verdict.He will be sentenced on October 16.