Iran-Linked Murder Plot
Norwegian Teen Arrested in UK for Alleged Iran-Linked Foxtrot Murder Plot
A 19-year-old Norwegian, Johannes Natland, was arrested in Huddersfield, England, in March 2025 after British prosecutors say he traveled to carry out a paid murder for a Swedish organised crime group, the Foxtrot Network, which they allege is used by the Iranian regime. Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Natland collected firearms and ammunition after being directed to locations and that he was recruited to “undertake a hit” for €25,000. The case centers on messages shown to the jury between accounts including “Agent 47” and “Generalen,” discussing an assassination in Great Britain and indicating the original intended assassin backed out. Natland has pleaded guilty to possessing a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and ammunition, but denies conspiracy to murder an unknown person. Prosecutors said they do not know who the target was, but argued the communications and what he told friends in Norway showed he was carrying out the planned plot. The court also heard that during his arrest he raised his hands and acted as if holding a firearm while approaching officers.
Key Points
Prosecutors said Natland arrived in the UK using an emergency passport and that after another user (Agent 47) made a flight booking, “it became clear that Natland's passport had expired.”
The court heard Natland was directed to specific locations, including a “stash of guns and ammunition,” and prosecutors alleged he obtained the weapons from a “hide” in a wooded area in Huddersfield/West Yorkshire.
In the communications shown to jurors, Agent 47 told Generalen the target location was straightforward: when asked about where the assassination would occur, Agent 47 replied: “Great Britain. As easy as can be.”
Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the jury that Foxtrot’s model is to use “very young” people with “no direct link,” adding that “The use of social media has enabled the rapid increase of cross-border crime,” and that the group (also known as the “Swedish Foxes”) can range from “a few to several thousand members.”
Prosecutors linked the case to wider intelligence concerns, telling the court that in 2024 Sweden’s Säpo and Israel’s Mossad said Iran had been carrying out activities inside Sweden “for several years” that “threaten security.”
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