Johannes Kongsnes Natland, a 19-year-old Norwegian national, has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder after traveling to England to execute a killing... Recruited by the Sweden-based Foxtrot Network, Natland was intercepted by authorities in Huddersfield shortly before he could carry out the assassination.
The £21,000 mission from Stavanger to Huddersfield
Johannes Kongsnes Natland did not fit the typical profile of a gangland assassin; he was a talented footballer and aspiring lawyer from a middle-class home in Stavanger, Norway. According to the report, Natland flew to Manchester after being promised a payment of £21,000 to carry out a hit on behalf of the Foxtrot Network. He was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield hours before the planned attack.
During a two-week trial at the Old Bailey, jurors heard that Natland had messaged his girlfriend on March 15 of last year , stating, "I'm going on a crazy mission ." While Natland had already admitted to the possession of firearms, the conspiracy to murder conviction highlights the reach of the Foxtrot Network's recruitment efforts beyond traditional criminal circles.
How the Foxtrot Network uses 'Violence-as-a-Service' via Telegram
The Foxtrot Network has pioneered a model Europol describes as "violence-as-a-service" (VaaS), utilizing digital platforms to outsource crime. as reported, the gang utilized the Telegram app—specifically a group called the Samurai Kids which boasted between 10,000 and 11,000 members—alongside Signal, Instagram, and Snapchat to find recruits.
The organization operates through a rigid hierarchy: "instigators" finance and order the crimes, while a middle tier of recruiters, often aged 15 to 18, handle social media advertisements and vet applicants. At the bottom are the "enforcers," who carry out the physical violence; some of these operatives have been as young as 13 years old.
Rawa Majid and the Iranian regime's shadow over Scandinavia
The Foxtrot Network is led by Rawa Majid, a Swedish-Iraqi national known as "the Kurdish Fox" who controls much of the Scandinavian drug trade. Majid has been sanctioned by the UK government due to his alleged ties to the Iranian regime, with the gang reportedly carrying out violent plots against Israeli and Jewish targets.
This geopolitical link was evidenced in January 2024, when an explosive device was discovered outside the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm. The report suggests that Majid lives under the protection of the Islamic Republic, transforming a regional drug empire into a tool for international political violence.
The under-15 legal loophole and the Bislett nail salon bombing
In Norway, the Foxtrot Network has exploited a legal loophole where children under 15 cannot be held criminally responsible. This has led to a surge in youth-led attacks, such as the September 23, 2025, explosion outside a nail salon in Bislett, Oslo. Police linked two 13-year-old boys to that attack, alleging they were recruited via TikTok and paid 30,000 NOK (£2,000) to use smuggled grenades.
The Bislett incident was part of a wider wave of violence in Norway. Other linked events include a shooting in Sarpsborg on September 30 involving boys aged 12, 13, and 14, and a grenade attack at a sushi restaurant in Strømmen carried out by a 15-year-old. In response, the Norwegian government has pledged increased funding for gang prevention programs.
The identity of the Manchester target and Natland's motivations
Despite the detailed account of the recruitment process, several critical pieces of information remain missing from the public record. The source does not identify the specific individual Johannes Kongsnes Natland was sent to assassinate in Manchester, nor does it explain why a student from a stable, affluent background was susceptible to the Foxtrot Network's outreach.
Furthermore, while the report details the role of the "instigators," it remains unclear exactly how the Foxtrot Network manages the logistics of transporting foreign teenagers across borders for high-stakes hits without triggering immediate security alerts.
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