Teenager arrived in Britain to murder target on behalf of Iran, court told
A Norwegian teenager travelled to Britain to carry out a contract killing on behalf of a Swedish criminal organisation with alleged ties to the Iranian regime, a court has been told.
Johannes Natland, now 19, was apprehended at a Huddersfield hotel on March 19 last year whilst in possession of a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 12 live rounds.
Prosecutors allege the young man from Stavanger was recruited by the Foxtrot network, which offered up to 25,000 euros for completing the assassination.
"He had been recruited by an organisation called the Foxtrot network to an agreement that in return for money he would travel here and undertake a hit," prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the jury.
Natland has admitted possessing the weapons but denies conspiracy to murder.
The Foxtrot network was established in 2021 and has since been linked to drug trafficking and violent offences, the court heard.
Prosecutors described how the organisation advertises criminal opportunities through group chats on messaging platforms including Snapchat, Telegram and Signal.
These online groups can attract thousands of participants, with members taking on distinct roles as "instigators", "recruiters" and "facilitators".
The network typically deploys very young individuals as "enforcers" to carry out violent acts, jurors were told.
According to the prosecution, these young operatives are rarely given advance knowledge of their intended victims' identities.
Mr Richardson told the court Natland "neither knew nor cared who he was to kill" and "this was to him all about the money which he would receive for completing the job".
The alleged plot was orchestrated by an individual using the online alias "Agent 47", who contacted another Norwegian teenager operating under the name "Generalen" as a recruiter, the court heard.
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Agent 47 asked Generalen: "Do you have an assassin abroad?"
The handler described the assignment as being in "Great Britain. As easy as can be" and confirmed there was 25,000 euros available for the job.
In a Snapchat exchange on March 15 last year, Natland asked the recruiter: "Who is to be shot?"
The prosecutor said these initial messages demonstrated Natland understood from the outset that the arrangement involved killing someone with a firearm.
Before departing Norway, the defendant informed his girlfriend he was "going on a crazy mission", jurors were told.
Natland arrived at Manchester Airport on March 17 last year, aged just 18 and carrying a temporary passport.
Border Force officials questioned him and initially refused him entry to the country, but he was released on bail and subsequently took a taxi to a Manchester hotel.
The following day, Agent 47 directed him to a Huddersfield address to collect cash, before he checked into the Briar Court Hotel for a three-night stay.
The teenager was then guided via video and map to a tree where the firearms and ammunition were concealed, the court heard.
He also purchased three pairs of black and orange workman's gloves and was directed to a stolen vehicle allegedly intended for use in the killing.
When armed officers arrived at his hotel room, Natland made a hand gesture pretending to shoot them, jurors were told, where police then recovered £2,000 in cash alongside the weapons.
The trial is expected to continue for the next three weeks.
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