Summary
A Norwegian man who travelled to the UK to carry out an assassination has been jailed after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19 (07.03.07) of Norway, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 16 October to 20 years’ in jail and must serve a minimum of 13 years in custody.
He was found guilty of conspiracy to murder after a trial earlier this year.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said: “Natland was arrested just hours before he was due to carry out an assassination here in the UK. That was only possible due to the exceptional work of Counter Terrorism Policing officers, working at pace alongside colleagues from West Yorkshire Police, Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTP NE) and Norwegian law enforcement authorities to identify, locate and arrest him.
“Natland was clearly being tasked by someone in the Foxtrot Network, an organised criminal group sanctioned by the UK and the US due to its involvement in orchestrating violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on behalf of the Iranian regime.
“The intended target of this specific assassination has never been identified, and we found no evidence of any direct link to Iran in this case. However, as recent events have shown, CTP will seek to proactively disrupt any attempts by hostile states to carry out criminal acts in the UK.
“One of the tactics increasingly used by foreign states seeking to cause harm to the UK is the use of criminal proxies. They often recruit people online with promises of significant financial reward. But the reality is that those carrying out these tasks are viewed as disposable assets by those directing them. They are used when convenient and abandoned when circumstances change. As Natland found, the people orchestrating these crimes will not protect you from the consequences. Instead, you are left facing arrest, prosecution and a substantial prison sentence”
The Old Bailey heard Natland was arrested at a hotel in the early hours of 19 March 2025 after arriving at Manchester Airport two days earlier.
Police found a bag containing two firearms, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 19 bullets, inside a plastic bag under his bed.
CTP London detectives analysed CCTV, including from the airport and the hotel, which established he had travelled in a taxi to a wooded area of Huddersfield where he had picked up the firearms.
Messages found on his phone showed he had been given exact instructions, including maps, pictures and videos, of where the ‘hide’ containing the bag of guns was located.
Further analysis of his digital communications by CTP London officers, revealed he had received messages on social media while he was in Norway asking him to carry out a shooting in the UK. A payment of 25,000 Euros was suggested.
Natland was given instructions as to which flight to board to the UK and what to do when he arrived by someone with the username ‘Agent 47’.
Agent 47 gave Natland the directions to an address in Huddersfield where he picked up some money. He then gave him the name of a hotel to book a room.
Giving evidence, Natland claimed that he was not intending to carry out the assassination but was instead intending to ‘shoot himself in the foot’, as a way to avoid repercussions if he refused the mission. However, after hearing the evidence gathered by the CTP investigation throughout the trial, the jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.
On 16 October he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to murder, to serve a minimum of 13 years. He also received five years in jail, to be served concurrently, after he had previously pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition.
The CTP London investigation remains ongoing into people suspected of helping Natland obtain the firearms and a stolen car.
In September 2025, a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. He has subsequently been released under investigation.
Two men, aged 30 and 27, were arrested in Bradford on 20 May on suspicion of handling stolen goods (a car). They were taken into custody before being released on bail.