A Norwegian teenager has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for travelling to the United Kingdom with the intention of carrying out a contract killing. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was arrested at a hotel in northern England in March 2025, just two days after flying into Manchester airport. Police found a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and 19 bullets hidden under his bed.
Natland had agreed to perform the assassination in exchange for €25,000, according to evidence presented at Woolwich Crown Court. He was directed by an individual using the alias “Agent 47”, a reference to the Hitman video game series. Investigators from the Metropolitan Police said he received instructions via social media while still in Norway, including details on how to collect the weapons.
A plot foiled by police intervention
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told Natland: “You agreed to be the enforcer and pursued it, despite numerous opportunities to extricate yourself. Although the fact that no one was shot dead or physically harmed is important, I am sure had the intervention of the police not prevented the plan from proceeding, you would have done what you had agreed to.”
Natland claimed he never intended to go through with the shooting. The court rejected that defence, noting that he had travelled to the UK, collected the firearms, and was preparing to act when officers intervened.
Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “Natland was arrested just hours before he was due to carry out an assassination here in the UK.”
The case highlights the growing reach of organised crime networks operating across European borders. UK Counter Terrorism Policing stated that Natland was acting under orders from someone within the Foxtrot Network, an international criminal gang based in Sweden. Authorities link the group to arms trafficking and a series of shootings and contract killings in Northern Europe.
The Foxtrot Network has also drawn attention from the US State Department, which says the Iranian regime has used the group to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe. Both the United States and the United Kingdom have sanctioned the organisation and its leader, Rawa Majid.
This sentencing comes amid broader concerns about hybrid threats and transnational crime in Europe. European institutions have been exploring new mechanisms to counter such challenges, including proposals for a European Security Council that would address hybrid warfare and organised crime. The case also underscores the importance of international police cooperation, as Natland was tracked from Norway to the UK before his arrest.
The intended target of the assassination remains unknown. The Metropolitan Police have not disclosed further details, but the investigation is ongoing.
Natland’s sentence reflects the seriousness with which British courts treat such plots, even when they are thwarted before any physical harm occurs. The case serves as a reminder that the threat from organised crime extends beyond traditional gang violence, reaching into the realm of international contract killings.
