A Norwegian teenager who flew to Manchester Airport to carry out an assassination in the UK has been convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
Police stormed a hotel room in Huddersfield and arrested Johannes Kongsnes Natland in March last year. Footage captured the moment the 19-year-old pretended to hold up a gun and shoot the officers, before he was pinned against a wall and handcuffed.
He was found with a stash of two guns, 19 rounds of ammunition and bags of cash in preparation for the murder that never took place. Natland was under orders from an organised crime group called the Foxtrot Network - linked to criminal activity on behalf of the Iranian regime.
Instructions from 'Agent 47'
He was instructed to murder someone in the UK, though the identity of the potential victim has not been established. Messages found on his phone showed he had been given exact instructions, including maps, pictures and videos, of where the ‘hide’ containing the bag of guns was located.
Further analysis of his digital communications by Counter Terrorism Police officers revealed he had received messages on social media while he was in Norway asking him to carry out a shooting in the UK. A payment of 25,000 Euros was suggested.
Natland was given instructions as to which flight to board to the UK and what to do when he arrived by someone with the username ‘Agent 47’. Agent 47 gave Natland the directions to an address in Huddersfield where he picked up some money. He then gave him the name of a hotel to book a room.
Arrest and evidence
Throughout his time in the UK, Natland was also sending messages to his friends back in Norway including pictures of the guns. He was asked by a friend if he had ‘tested the weapons’ and replied: “Hell no. They will be tested on the guy.”
Footage Natland took of himself holding the guns, as well as photos posed with the bags of cash, have been released, while CCTV footage shows him buying gloves in anticipation of the murder. But before he could carry out the shooting, just two days after landing in Manchester Airport, Natland was arrested in the hotel room in the early hours of March 19, 2025.
The teenager looked nonchalant, before pretending to hold up a gun and shoot the officers. He was then pressed against the wall and handcuffed. A bag containing two firearms, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 19 bullets, was found inside a plastic bag under his bed.
CTP London detectives analysed CCTV from the airport and the hotel, which established he had travelled in a taxi to a wooded area of Huddersfield where he had picked up the firearms.
Verdict and sentencing
Although the target of the murder plot has never been identified, CTP London officers uncovered a significant amount of evidence demonstrating that Natland was fully aware he was being asked to kill someone in the UK. Giving evidence, Natland claimed that he was not intending to carry out the assassination but was instead intending to ‘shoot himself in the foot’, as a way to avoid repercussions if he refused the mission.
However, after hearing the evidence throughout the trial, the jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. He was found guilty of the conspiracy to commit murder after a two-week trial at the Old Bailey, having already pleaded guilty to the possession of the guns and ammunition. He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey in October.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said: “Due to the swift and professional work of CTP London officers, supported by officers from West Yorkshire Police and CTP North East, Natland was arrested before he was able to carry out a murder in the UK.
“This investigation highlights the importance of the strong links with our international law enforcement partners to counter the very real threat of criminal organisations across European borders. We’ve worked particularly closely with colleagues from Norwegian law enforcement authorities and as a result, we have stopped somebody from being assassinated here in the UK.
“Our investigation, which remains ongoing, has also resulted in two lethal weapons and ammunition being taken out of criminal hands and off the streets of the UK which has undoubtedly made the public safer.”
