Norwegian teen sentenced to 20 years for UK murder plot tied to Iran-linked group

A Norwegian teenager ​who planned to commit ​murder in Britain ‌after being ​recruited by a Swedish organised crime group linked to the Iranian ‌government was on Friday sentenced to 20 years' detention. Johannes Natland, now 19, was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, ‌northern England, in March 2025 with two firearms and ‌ammunition in his possession.

Natland was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group used by the Iranian state and ⁠sanctioned by ​both Britain ⁠and the United States, prosecutors said. He admitted possessing a semi-automatic ⁠pistol, a revolver and ammunition, but denied conspiracy to murder ​and claimed he did not intend to carry out the ⁠plan.

But he was convicted in July after a retrial and ⁠was sentenced ​at London's Woolwich Crown Court to detention for 20 years. Natland was the latest young adult to ⁠stand trial in Britain and elsewhere over serious criminal acts ⁠allegedly carried ⁠out after being recruited online for money, often as an unwitting proxy for a foreign ‌state.