Iran-backed gang that 'hired Norwegian hitman to kill in the UK' recruits children as young as 13 'for murder'

An Iran-backed gang that allegedly hired a teenage Norwegian hitman to kill in the UK recruits children as young as 13 for murder, a court heard.

Johannes Natland, 18 at the time, flew from Stavanger, south-west Norway, to assassinate a target in Britain following his recruitment by the Foxtrot Network , the Old Bailey was told.

Natland sent messages to his girlfriend saying it 'will be cool' to 'finally kill someone', but was thwarted when he was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on March 19 last year, two days after his arrival.

Police found a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and 12 rounds of live ammunition in his possession, as well as £2,000 in cash, the court has heard.

The Foxtrot Network that allegedly hired the Norwegian teenager is based in Sweden but has contacts across the world and is 'used by the Iranian regime'.

Johannes Natland, 19, travelled from the oil-rich town of Stavanger, south west Norway, to assassinate a target in the UK 'in return for money', the Old Bailey was told

Pierre Sandin, a Swedish police officer and Foxtrot expert, told the court that the group gained prominence in 2024 with the rise of 'crime as a service', when the gang began recruiting children as young as 13 on social media.

Assignments, which include arson, murder and bombings, are advertised in online chat groups in a bid to recruit volunteers who cannot be connected to the offence, Mr Sandin said.

Foxtrot began by using the Telegram app and moved on to Signal and other popular social media apps including Instagram and Snapchat.

'The advert comes with a promise of payment in different sums depending on the crime and where it is supposed to be committed,' Mr Sandin said.

'There was a higher paid offer for jobs abroad than domestic.'

The largest group, which has since been closed by Telegram, was the Samurai Kids and had 10,000 to 11,000 members but there are also smaller groups with a few hundred participants.

At the top of the group are the 'instigators', who order the crime and finance it, and below them are two tiers of 'recruiters', the lower level of which are often young men aged between 15 and 18.

Their job is to post adverts, deal with the replies and, when someone takes up the offer, hand them on to a senior gang member.

At the bottom are 'enforcers' who actually carry out the job and have included children as young as 13.

They very rarely know who is the target until the last moment, Mr Sandin said.

Johannes Natland was found with £2,000 in cash in his hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorks

Johannes Natland holds a semi-automatic pistol that he picked up in a wood in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The gun was later found in his hotel room alongside a revolver

He told the court: 'There has been a pattern we have seen targeting youths in a vulnerable situation, in state care homes, not functioning in society and susceptible to these approaches.'

The court has previously heard that Natland was a talented student and footballer but had struggled with drug abuse in recent years.

In his case, a shadowy figure called Agent 47, allegedly commissioned the hit via a Norwegian contact named 'Generalen', with Natland ultimately recruited by an online user called 'Unknown Hustler'.

Natland, who was expecting to be paid more than £20,000 for the job, 'neither knew, nor cared' who the target was, it is alleged.

Natland has pleaded guilty to possession of a 9mm semi-automatic Luger pistol and a revolver along with 12 rounds of live ammunition but denies conspiracy to murder.

The trial continues.