Talented footballer Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, agreed to shoot an unknown target for 25,000 euros (£21,500) in March last year.
asserted
Natland → agree → March
Natland admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition but claimed he would have shot himself in the foot to get out of the “pickle” he was in.
However, jurors heard he had lied repeatedly following his arrest and even tried to persuade his girlfriend not to give evidence in phone calls from prison.
asserted
he → admit → prison
An Old Bailey jury found him guilty of conspiracy to murder following a retrial.
asserted
him → find → retrial
On Friday, Natland will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.
asserted
Natland → sentence → Grubb
The court heard how Natland was recruited by another teenager referred to as “Generalen” who was working for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang.
asserted
who → hear → gang
Natland was controlled by an English-speaking boss called “Agent 47”, in an apparent reference to the Hitman gaming and film franchise.
Under Agent 47’s close direction, Natland took a flight from his home in Stavanger in Norway to Manchester Airport on a temporary passport on March 17 last year.
asserted
Natland → control → March
He was stopped by Border Force officials in Manchester who bailed him to return to the airport to catch the next direct flight home.
asserted
who → stop → flight
Instead, he took a taxi to Huddersfield where he picked up £2,000 in cash, two guns and bullets and was directed to a stolen Nissan with false plates to be used in the killing.
asserted
he → take → killing
From his room at the Briar Court Hotel, Natland bragged to his girlfriend he had got the “bangs in the bag” and took selfies with the guns and cash spread on his bed.
asserted
he → brag → bed
At 5.15am the next day armed police banged on Natland’s hotel room to arrest him.
asserted
police → bang → him
A smiling Natland emerged wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and pretended to shoot one of the officers with his empty hands.
asserted
Natland → smile → hands
In a search of his room, police seized a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, 12 rounds of live ammunition, gloves and £2,000 in cash.
asserted
police → seize → cash
At his trial, one of Natland’s footballer friends recalled a conversation with him about “Swedish Foxes”.
asserted
one → recall → Foxes
The defendant told him: “I’m going to get a lot of money and somebody is going to die.”
asserted
somebody → tell → money
Natland had also confided in his girlfriend before leaving for the UK, saying in a message: “I’m going on crazy mission.”
asserted
I → confide → mission
According to her, he said: “Now I can finally kill someone and it’s perfect as I get money to do it.
uncertain
I → accord → it
I can kill someone and life will be wonderful.”
asserted
life → kill → someone
Giving evidence, Natland said he wanted to look “cool” to his peers but it was just “bravado” and inside he was “terrified”.
asserted
he → give → peers
Natland told jurors: “I wasn’t an international assassin.
asserted
I → tell → jurors
I thought people had this impression and expected me to be this guy.
asserted
me → think → impression
I knew I wasn’t.”
asserted
I → know → ?
Despite having supportive parents, his life went downhill after he became addicted to drugs and he was placed in rehab and a care home, he said.
asserted
he → have → rehab
He told jurors how he planned to back out of the shooting, saying: “I was going to look like an idiot but desperate times call for desperate measures.
asserted
times → tell → measures
“Faced with the alternative of being shot in the head, I thought being shot in the foot is better, yeah.”
asserted
shot → face → foot
Natland’s recruiter, a 17-year-old youth known as “Generalen”, was convicted in Norway of attempting to “contribute to murder” in May last year.
uncertain
recruiter → know → May
Three more people have been charged by Norwegian police with a decision yet to be taken by prosecutors whether to “indict” them.
asserted
people → charge → them
In September 2025, a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and has been released under investigation.
asserted
man → arrest → investigation
Two men, aged 30 and 27, were arrested in Bradford on May 20 on suspicion of handling stolen goods relating to a car.
uncertain
men → arrest → car
They were subsequently released on bail.
asserted
They → release → bail
The true identity and whereabouts of Natland’s English-speaking controller, Agent 47, remains unknown.
asserted
identity → speak → controller
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