'It was all about money': UK court convicts Norwegian teen ‘hitman’ in murder conspiracy linked to Iran-linked group

Natland was arrested in March last year from a hotel room in Huddersfield in northern England.

Published on: Jul 29, 2026, 19:29:22 IST

By HT News Desk

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A Norwegian teenager has been convicted by a British court for conspiring to commit murder after prosecutors alleged he was recruited by a Swedish organised crime group that they said was being used by the Iranian government.

Johannes Natland was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, northern England. (AFP)

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday after a retrial at London's Old Bailey, where 19-year-old Johannes Natland was found guilty of conspiracy to murder. He had previously admitted possessing firearms and ammunition but denied that he intended to carry out any killing, news agency Reuters reported.

Arrest followed discovery of firearms

Natland was arrested in March last year in a hotel room in Huddersfield in northern England. Police recovered two firearms — a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver — along with ammunition from his possession.

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While he accepted the weapons charges, Natland argued during the trial that he had no intention of carrying out a murder. However, the jury at the retrial found him guilty of conspiracy to murder. His first trial in June had ended without a verdict on that charge after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision.

Prosecutors allege recruitment through Foxtrot Network

During the trial, prosecutors said Natland had been recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group that they alleged was being used by the Iranian state. The group has been sanctioned by both Britain and the United States.

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According to prosecutor Alistair Richardson, someone using the name "Agent 47" coordinated the hiring of an assassin, with €25,000 ($28,500) "in the pot" to fund the operation.

Addressing the jury, Richardson said Natland "neither knew, nor cared who he was to kill ... to him, this was all about the money".

Retrial ends with conviction

The guilty verdict came after prosecutors renewed their case at the retrial. Natland's initial trial had concluded without a decision on the conspiracy charge, requiring the matter to be heard again before a new jury.

The case is among those in Britain involving young adults accused of carrying out serious criminal acts after allegedly being recruited online for money, with prosecutors claiming they were used as proxies by a foreign state.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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HT News Desk
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