Norwegian convicted of murder plot for Iran-linked gang

A 19-year-old Norwegian man has been found guilty of conspiring to commit murder after traveling to England to carry out a contract killing for a Swedish organized crime group with alleged ties to Iran. Johannes Kongsnes Natland was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, following a retrial. The plot was foiled in March 2025 when armed police arrested him at a hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, seizing two handguns and live ammunition.

Natland, a former promising footballer from Stavanger, admitted to possessing the firearms and ammunition but denied the conspiracy charge. He claimed during his trial that he never intended to kill anyone and had planned to shoot himself in the foot to escape what he called "a pickle." The jury, however, deliberated for over 17 hours before rejecting his defense and returning a unanimous guilty verdict.

The court heard that Natland was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a group sanctioned by the UK and US for its links to the Iranian regime and known for exploiting teenagers in violent crimes. He was brought into the plot by a 17-year-old recruiter known online as "Generalen," who was himself convicted in Norway in...