Teenage footballer hired to kill

Johannes Kongsnes Natland, nineteen, a talented footballer from Stavanger, Norway, agreed to shoot an unknown target for twenty five thousand euros on behalf of an Iran-backed international crime gang.

Arrested with guns at UK hotel

Natland travelled to the UK in March last year and was arrested at the Briar Court hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, two days later with a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, twelve rounds of ammunition and…

Recruited by Swedish gang backed by Iran

Natland had been recruited by another teenager called Generalen, who worked for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang, backed by the Iranian regime and known for recruiting children as young as thirteen for drug smuggling and…

Judge: he showed excitement about the plan

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said messages Natland sent showed not only participation but at points excitement about what he had been planning to do, and that he had pursued it despite numerous opportunities to extricate himself.

“You agreed to be the enforcer and pursued it, despite numerous opportunities to extricate yourself.”

Sentenced to twenty years in detention

Natland was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to twenty years in detention at Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London on Friday.