Norwegian teen tried for UK contract killing by Swedish gang

A Norwegian teenager traveled to Britain to carry out a contract killing on behalf of a Swedish criminal organization, a London court heard as his trial opened. Johannes Natland, now 19, was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, northern England, on March 19 last year, where police found a semiautomatic pistol, a revolver, and live ammunition.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the Old Bailey that Natland had been recruited by the Foxtrot Network, which he described as a Swedish-based organized crime group used by the Iranian regime. The network offered up to 25,000 euros for the assassination, according to the prosecution. Natland has pleaded guilty to possessing the firearms and ammunition but denies a charge of conspiracy to murder.

The court heard the alleged plot was coordinated by an individual using the online alias "Agent 47," who contacted a recruiter known as "Generalen" to find an assassin for a job in Britain. In a Snapchat exchange on March 15 last year, Natland asked the recruiter, "Who is to be shot?" Prosecutors said this demonstrated his understanding that the arrangement involved a killing with a firearm.

Before departing Norway, Natland informed his...