Johannes Natland jailed 20 years over Iran-linked ...

Summary

• Johannes Natland recruited onlineThe Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group, recruited Natland while he played a game online.
• Prosecutors said the network guided Natland through the Signal app after he landed.
• The judge said the network recruits young people from a distance to carry out violent crimes.

AI Generated Summary

Johannes Natland, a 19-year-old from Norway, received a 20-year prison term on Friday for flying to Britain to commit a murder for hire.

From Stavanger, Natland had agreed to pull the trigger on an unidentified target in return for 25,000 euros. Police arrested him in a Huddersfield hotel in March 2025, just two days after he landed.

Officers searching the room found a pistol, a revolver and live rounds. After a retrial, a jury convicted him in July of conspiracy to murder.

Johannes Natland recruited online

The Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group, recruited Natland while he played a game online. At the time, he held a part-time job in a pizza restaurant.

Counterterrorism officers at the Metropolitan Police say the group has ties to Iran’s government. Britain and the United States have both imposed sanctions on it.