Old Bailey hears Norwegian teen deny UK Foxtrot murder plot
A London trial links an alleged teenage murder-for-hire plot to Europe's wider concern over state-backed criminal proxies.
In 30 seconds
- Prosecutors say Natland travelled from Stavanger to Manchester on 17 March 2025 for a paid killing.
- The court has heard police arrested Natland at a Huddersfield hotel on 19 March 2025.
- Natland has admitted possessing two firearms and ammunition but denies conspiracy to murder.
- The UK government sanctioned Foxtrot and Rawa Majid on 14 April 2025.
Johannes Kongsnes Natland (Norwegian defendant, 19, from Stavanger) is on trial in London over an alleged murder conspiracy. Stavanger (south-west Norwegian city and oil-sector hub) is his home city. The Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London) hears serious criminal cases. Manchester Airport (major north-west England airport) was Natland's arrival point on 17 March 2025, according to prosecutors. Huddersfield (West Yorkshire town between Manchester and Leeds) is where police arrested him at the Briar Court Hotel (local hotel named in court). Foxtrot Network (Swedish organised-crime group associated with gang violence and sanctions) is the alleged commissioning network. Rawa Majid (Swedish-Turkish crime figure also known as the Kurdish Fox) is named by UK sanctions as Foxtrot's leader. Agent 47 and Generalen (aliases cited in court) are alleged handlers or intermediaries. Säpo (Sweden's domestic security service) has publicly linked Iranian services to Swedish criminal networks.
Background
The alleged plot fits a wider pattern identified by security agencies and researchers. Säpo said in May 2024 that Iran was using criminal networks in Sweden as proxies against Israeli or Jewish interests. The UK government said in April 2025 that Britain had responded to more than 20 Iran-backed plots since early 2022 and sanctioned Foxtrot and Rawa Majid under the 2023 Iran Sanctions Regulations. A 2024 Washington Institute and ICCT analysis said Iranian external operations in Europe increased after a foiled 2018 Iranian bomb plot near Paris and that criminal intermediaries now feature more often.
The wider picture
The broader issue is Iran's alleged use of deniable proxies in Europe while avoiding direct state responsibility. Researchers and Western officials describe this as a way to pressure dissidents, Israeli-linked targets and Jewish communities without openly deploying state officers. That blurs the line between organised crime, terrorism, sanctions policy and counterintelligence.
Why now
The story is timely because Natland is currently giving evidence at the Old Bailey in a live conspiracy-to-murder trial, and because UK sanctions against Foxtrot in April 2025 have made the network's alleged Iran links part of a wider European security debate.
What happens next
Watch for the Old Bailey verdict on conspiracy to murder, any sentencing on the admitted firearms offences, and whether UK or Nordic authorities disclose further charges against alleged handlers. European signals to monitor include new sanctions designations and any EU debate on treating the IRGC or proxy networks differently.
What to do
There is no immediate change for ordinary Belgian residents. The practical takeaway is situational rather than procedural: schools, parents, community organisations and security officials should take online recruitment and encrypted-chat coercion seriously, while Brussels institutions and diplomatic sites can expect continued attention to hostile-state and organised-crime overlaps.
The Belgian angle
The effects differ by level. The UK courts are testing the criminal allegation against Natland. Sweden and Norway sit closer to the alleged recruitment chain because Foxtrot is Swedish-based and Natland is Norwegian. Belgium's relevance is primarily Brussels security: a 2024 research analysis linked alleged Foxtrot activity to an airsoft-grenade incident at Israel's embassy in Belgium. At EU level, the issue feeds broader questions on sanctions, intelligence sharing and whether member states treat proxy violence as organised crime, state threat activity or terrorism.
How we got here
- 2024-05-30
Säpo publicly accused Iran of using criminal networks in Sweden to target Israeli or Jewish interests.
- 2025-03-17
Prosecutors say Natland arrived at Manchester Airport from Stavanger.
- 2025-03-19
Police arrested Natland at the Briar Court Hotel in Huddersfield, according to court reporting.
- 2025-04-14
The UK government sanctioned the Foxtrot Network and Rawa Majid.
- 2026-06-03
The Old Bailey trial opened with prosecutors setting out the alleged Foxtrot-linked murder plot.
EvidenceWell established · 1 primary source + 1 official document + 3 independent reporting sources · Academic sources: 1Explore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.
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