A teenage hitman who flew into the UK from Norway to kill a stranger on behalf of one of Europe's most dangerous crime gangs faces a life sentence. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was recruited by the Sweden-based Foxtrot Network, which has been linked to at least 30 murders. He agreed to carry out the hit for £21,600 to appear 'cool' in front of his girlfriend, despite having no knowledge of the target or motive.
Arrest and Trial
Two days after arriving in the UK from his home in Stavanger, armed police arrested Natland at a hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, seizing two guns and 12 live bullets. He admitted possession of the firearms and ammunition but claimed he planned to shoot himself in the foot to escape the situation. At the Old Bailey, jurors deliberated for 17 hours and six minutes before finding him guilty of conspiracy to murder following a retrial.
Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told jurors: 'The reality is the defendant is a troubled but dangerous young man. A young man who agreed to kill in a foreign country for money.'
The Foxtrot Network and Recruitment
Natland's recruiter, a 17-year-old known as 'Generalen', was convicted in Norway of attempting to contribute to murder in May last year. Generalen worked for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang, which is backed by the Iranian regime and known for using children as young as 13 in drug smuggling and violent crimes. He brought Natland into the plot after another recruit backed out. Natland was controlled by an English-speaking boss called 'Agent 47', a reference to the Hitman gaming franchise.
Natland continued with the plan even after learning via a group chat that Generalen had been arrested for conspiracy to murder. Under Agent 47's direction, he flew from Stavanger to Manchester Airport on a temporary passport on March 17 last year. Border Force officials stopped him but bailed him to return for the next flight home. Instead, he took a taxi to Huddersfield, where he collected £2,000 in cash, two guns, and ammunition, and was directed to a stolen Nissan with false plates for the killing.
Evidence and Testimony
At his hotel, Natland told his girlfriend he had 'the bangs in the bag' and took selfies with the weapons and cash. On the eve of the planned shooting, Agent 47 warned: 'We have much to do tomorrow.' Armed police raided his room at 5:15 am the next day, arresting a smiling Natland who emerged in boxer shorts and pretended to shoot an officer with his empty hands. Officers seized a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, 12 rounds of ammunition, gloves, and £2,000 in cash.
One of Natland's footballer friends recalled a conversation about 'Swedish Foxes' in which the defendant bragged: 'I'm going to get a lot of money and somebody is going to die.' In messages to his girlfriend, Natland said: 'I'm going on crazy mission' and '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.' When asked if he had thought it through, he replied: 'It will be a bit cool to kill someone. If I don't get caught we have to celebrate.'
In his defence, Natland claimed he wanted to look 'cool' but was 'terrified' inside, saying: 'I wasn't an international assassin. I thought people had this impression and expected me to be this guy. I knew I wasn't.' He said his life went downhill after drug addiction, and he initially thought the plan was a 'joke' or 'scam'. He claimed he planned to shoot himself in the foot to escape, stating: 'Faced with the alternative of being shot in the head, I thought being shot in the foot is better, yeah.'
Under cross-examination, he admitted lying repeatedly in his written account and never mentioned being scared before trial. The true identity of Agent 47 remains unknown.
