Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, is set to be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder. He was arrested in Huddersfield with firearms before carrying out the hit.
Johannes Kongsnes Natland, a 19-year-old from Stavanger, Norway, is scheduled to be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday. An Old Bailey jury found him guilty of conspiracy to murder following a retrial. The court heard that Natland agreed to shoot an unknown target in the UK for 25,000 euros (£21,500) in March last year.
According to court evidence, Natland was recruited by another teenager referred to as "Generalen," who was working for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang. The gang is described as being backed by the Iranian regime and known for deploying children as young as 13 in drug smuggling and violent crimes.
Natland was controlled by an English-speaking boss called "Agent 47," a name that appears to reference the Hitman gaming and film franchise. Under close direction, Natland flew from Stavanger to Manchester Airport on a temporary passport on March 17 last year. Border Force officials stopped him in Manchester and bailed him to return to the airport for a flight home. Instead, he took a taxi to Huddersfield.
In Huddersfield, Natland collected £2,000 in cash, two guns, and bullets. He was directed to a stolen Nissan with false plates intended for use in the killing. From his room at the Briar Court Hotel, he bragged to his girlfriend that he had got the "bangs in the bag" and took selfies with the weapons and cash.
Armed police arrested him at 5.15am the next day. During the arrest, Natland emerged wearing only boxer shorts and pretended to shoot an officer with his empty hands. Police seized a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, 12 rounds of live ammunition, gloves, and the cash.
Natland admitted to possessing the firearms and ammunition but claimed he would have shot himself in the foot to get out of the "pickle" he was in. He told jurors that his behavior was "bravado" and that he was "terrified" inside. "I wasn't an international assassin," Natland said. "I thought people had this impression and expected me to be this guy. I knew I wasn't."
However, jurors heard that Natland lied repeatedly after his arrest and tried to persuade his girlfriend not to give evidence in phone calls from prison. Testimony included messages where Natland allegedly told his girlfriend, "Now I can finally kill someone and it’s perfect as I get money to do it. I can kill someone and life will be wonderful."
Natland’s recruiter, a 17-year-old known as "Generalen," was convicted in Norway of attempting to "contribute to murder" in May last year. Three other people have been charged by Norwegian police, with prosecutors yet to decide whether to indict them. In the UK, a 27-year-old man was arrested in September 2025 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and released under investigation. Two other men were arrested in Bradford on May 20 on suspicion of handling stolen goods relating to a car and were released on bail. The identity of "Agent 47" remains unknown.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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