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July 29, 2026 / 12:17 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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London — A 19-year-old Norwegian has been found guilty of traveling to England to kill someone on behalf of a Swedish crime group that is under U.S. and U.K. sanctions for its links to Iran.Johannes Kongsnes Natland was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder after an investigation by British counterterrorism officers and a two-week trial, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Natland had already admitted to two offenses related to gun and ammunition possession, police said. He was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield, in the north of England, last year, when he was 18. A semi-automatic pistol and a revolver were found in a plastic bag under his bed, along with rounds of live ammunition, police said.Natland had flown into Manchester Airport on an emergency passport from Stavanger, his hometown, on March 17, 2025, two days before the hit was planned, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.In bodycam footage released by police from the early hours of March 19, 2025, Natland emerges topless from his room and mimes a shooting gesture at a firearms officer before being slammed against a wall.The target of the assassination remains unknown, but police say "a significant amount of evidence" showed "Natland was fully aware he was being asked to kill someone." The investigation is ongoing.
