A Norwegian teenager flew to the UK to carry out an assassination after receiving orders from ‘Agent 47’. The 19-year-old has now been convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
Armed officers raided a hotel room in Huddersfield and detained Johannes Kongsnes Natland in March last year. Video footage shows the moment the 19 year old mimicked brandishing a firearm and firing at police, before being forced against a wall and restrained with handcuffs.
He was discovered with a haul of two firearms, 19 rounds of ammunition and bundles of cash in readiness for the killing that ultimately didn’t happen. Natland was acting on instructions from an organised crime syndicate known as the Foxtrot Network – connected to criminal operations on behalf of the Iranian regime.
He was directed to kill someone in the UK, although the identity of the intended target has not been determined. Messages uncovered on his mobile revealed he had been provided with precise instructions, including maps, photographs and footage, of where the ‘hide’ containing the holdall of weapons was situated, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Additional examination of his digital correspondence by Counter Terrorism Police officers disclosed he had received messages on social media while in Norway requesting him to undertake a shooting in the UK. A sum of 25,000 Euros was proposed.
View 5 ImagesJohannes Kongsnes Natland(Image: Metropolitan Police / SWNS)
Natland received detailed instructions from someone using the alias ‘Agent 47’ – a reference to the hit video game series Hitman – regarding which flight to take to the UK and his actions upon arrival. Agent 47 directed Natland to an address in Huddersfield where he collected some cash.
He was then told which hotel to reserve accommodation at. During his stay in the UK, Natland was also messaging mates back in Norway, including photographs of the firearms.
When a friend enquired whether he had ‘tested the weapons’, he responded: “Hell no. They will be tested on the guy.”
Video footage Natland recorded of himself wielding the guns, alongside images posing with bundles of money, has been made public, while CCTV captures him purchasing gloves in preparation for the killing. However, before he could execute the shooting, merely two days after touching down at Manchester Airport, Natland was detained in the hotel room during the early hours of March 19, 2025.
View 5 ImagesOne of Natland’s guns(Image: Metropolitan Police / SWNS)
The teenager appeared unfazed, before mimicking holding up a gun and shooting the officers. He was subsequently pushed against the wall and restrained with handcuffs.
A bag containing two firearms, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 19 bullets, was discovered inside a plastic bag beneath his bed. CTP London detectives examined CCTV from the airport and the hotel, which confirmed he had travelled by taxi to a wooded area of Huddersfield where he had collected the firearms.
View 5 ImagesNatland was arrested in a hotel in Huddersfield(Image: Metropolitan Police / SWNS)
While the intended victim of the murder conspiracy has never been revealed, officers from CTP London unearthed substantial evidence proving that Natland was fully cognisant he was being commissioned to kill someone in the UK. Taking the stand, Natland maintained that he had no intention of executing the assassination but was rather planning to ‘shoot himself in the foot’, as a means of evading consequences should he decline the assignment.
Nevertheless, following consideration of the evidence presented during proceedings, the jury convicted him of conspiracy to commit murder. He was found guilty of the conspiracy to commit murder after a fortnight-long trial at the Old Bailey, having previously admitted guilt to possessing the firearms and ammunition.
View 5 ImagesA mugshot image of Johannes Kongsnes Natland(Image: Metropolitan Police / SWNS)
Sentencing is scheduled at the Old Bailey in October. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, stated: “Due to the swift and professional work of CTP London officers, supported by officers from West Yorkshire Police and CTP North East, Natland was arrested before he was able to carry out a murder in the UK.
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“This investigation highlights the importance of the strong links with our international law enforcement partners to counter the very real threat of criminal organisations across European borders. We’ve worked particularly closely with colleagues from Norwegian law enforcement authorities and as a result, we have stopped somebody from being assassinated here in the UK.
“Our investigation, which remains ongoing, has also resulted in two lethal weapons and ammunition being taken out of criminal hands and off the streets of the UK which has undoubtedly made the public safer.”
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