Norwegian teenager given 20 years’ detention over Britain murder plot
Johannes Natland, 19, was sentenced in London after a retrial conviction for conspiracy to murder, having been recruited by the Foxtrot Network, prosecutors said.
London, United Kingdom. A court on Friday ordered Norwegian teenager Johannes Natland to serve 20 years in detention for plotting a murder in Britain. Prosecutors said the 19-year-old had been recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group with links to Iran’s government.
Arrest and conviction
Police arrested Natland in March 2025 at a hotel in Huddersfield, in England’s north, where he had two firearms and ammunition in his room.
He admitted possessing ammunition, a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver. However, he denied conspiring to murder, maintaining that he had no intention of carrying out the plot.
A retrial ended with his conviction in July. The sentence was handed down at Woolwich Crown Court in London.
Recruitment and foreign-state links
According to prosecutors, the Iranian state has used the Foxtrot Network, which is subject to sanctions imposed by Britain and the United States.
Natland’s case was the latest involving a young adult tried in Britain or elsewhere for serious crimes allegedly committed following online recruitment in exchange for money. Such cases have often involved recruits acting unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state.
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