Johannes Natland, 19, denies conspiracy to murder at the Old Bailey despite admitting possession of two handguns and ammunition. He told jurors he was drawn into an alleged plot organised by the Foxtrot Network but never intended to kill the unnamed target. Natland said he initially lied in his defence statement, later tried to withdraw and even planned to shoot himself in the foot rather than commit murder. He described the firearms officers who arrested him as his "saviours." The trial is expected to finish next week.
Norwegian Teen Says 'I'm Not A Violent Guy' In Old Bailey Trial Over Alleged UK 'Hit'
Johannes Natland, who is on trial at the Old Bailey, denies a charge of conspiracy to murder [Metropolitan Police]
A Norwegian teenager on trial at the Old Bailey has told jurors he never intended to kill anyone despite admitting possession of two handguns and ammunition. Nineteen-year-old Johannes Natland denies a charge of conspiracy to murder, saying he was drawn into a plot but never planned to carry out the killing.
Arrest and Allegations
Prosecutors allege Natland travelled to the UK to carry out a "hit" for a Swedish organised crime group known as the Foxtrot Network, which is said to have links to Iran. He was arrested by specialist firearms officers at the Briar Court Hotel in Huddersfield on 19 March 2025, two days after arriving at Manchester Airport.
Court Testimony
On the second day of his evidence, Natland told jurors:
"I wasn't going to kill anyone, especially not someone that I had never met. I am not a violent guy."He admitted that he had agreed to shoot someone in the UK but insisted he had no details of the intended target—"I didn't know who, when, where or anything else really."
Natland said he travelled to Manchester, took a taxi to Huddersfield and retrieved two handguns from a patch of woodland. He conceded possession of the weapons but rejected the prosecution's claim that he conspired to murder.
A still frame from a video allegedly showing Natland holding a semi-automatic handgun [Counter Terrorism Policing]
Mental Health, Drugs and Background
Natland described a troubled history of drug use in Norway that led to hospitalisation with psychosis and time in a residential home for troubled teenagers. He said contacts from someone he met at that home led to messages seeking a person to carry out a "shooting in England," which drew him into the arrangement.
He also told the court he had tried drugs during his first week in an English prison and experienced a "proper bad episode," but that he was now "eating healthily, doing no drugs." Held at Belmarsh Prison in south-east London, he described the difficulties of life inside and said the officers who arrested him were his "saviours" because their intervention stopped him from harming himself.
Change Of Account
Natland admitted that much of his initial defence statement—where he claimed involvement in drug-running rather than a plot to kill—was false. "I thought lying would be better than telling the truth," he told the jury. He said he later "came to his senses" and attempted to withdraw from the plan, explaining that he planned to shoot himself in the foot rather than take another person's life.
Trial Status
The trial is continuing at the Old Bailey and is expected to conclude next week.
Help us improve.
