A 19-year-old Norwegian teenager, Johannes Natland, flew from Sweden to the UK with the intention of collecting two guns and ammunition from a pre-arranged location and killing an unknown target. He was part of the Foxtrot network, a global criminal organisation that uses children and teenagers to commit crimes for hire.
The Foxtrot Network's Origins
Criminal experts trace the origins of the Foxtrot network to a man known as 'The Kurdish Fox', whose real name is Rawa Majid. Born in Iran, Majid moved to Sweden as a baby during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Growing up in Uppsala, he became close to Ismail Abdo, nicknamed 'The Strawberry'. The pair began with petty crime, eventually founding the Foxtrot gang.
The organisation grew from a small operation to a national drug-dealing network across Sweden. However, the founders fell out in 2023, leading Abdo to start a rival gang called Rumba. A tit-for-tat war ensued, driving both gangs to become more violent and acquire more weapons.
Recruitment of Children
To gain an edge, Majid began recruiting children and teenagers, building an army of child soldiers. In 2023, two 14-year-old boys recruited by the Foxtrot network were found dead after being tortured by their own gang, allegedly for losing a firearm. Eighteen people were charged, but only two were sentenced for the double killing. That same year, a 16-year-old referred to as Tim was also tortured and killed after being recruited for a murder.
In 2024, eleven young Foxtrot members, including two aged 15, were convicted on arson charges after setting fire to a building where people, including more children, were sleeping.
Global Expansion and Iranian Ties
With Rawa Majid operating from Iran, the Foxtrot network has become a global criminal enterprise. The network offers its teenage assassins for hire. US Secretary Marco Rubio stated: "The Iranian regime leveraged the Foxtrot Network to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe, including the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, in January 2024."
Majid has cooperated with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which is sanctioned by the United States. He also faces Swedish charges related to narcotics and firearms.
The Case of Johannes Natland
Johannes Natland was convicted of conspiracy to murder. He received instructions from an unknown user named 'Agent 47', who directed him to an address in Huddersfield to collect cash and a hotel to book. Natland sent messages to friends in Norway, including pictures of the guns. When asked if he had tested the weapons, he replied: "Hell no. They will be tested on the guy."
Footage showed Natland holding the guns and posing with bags of cash. CCTV captured him purchasing gloves. Two days after landing at Manchester Airport, he was arrested in his hotel room in the early hours of 19 March 2025. Neither the intended target nor the identity of Agent 47 has been revealed.
