Overview
- Prosecutors say Johannes Kongsnes Natland travelled from Stavanger to Manchester in mid‑March 2025, collected hidden cash and weapons in the Huddersfield area and was arrested at a Briar Court Hotel room on March 19, 2025.
- Jurors viewed body‑worn police footage of the hotel arrest and officers recovered a 9mm semi‑automatic pistol, a revolver, live ammunition and about £2,000 in cash from his room.
- Natland has admitted possession of the firearms and ammunition but has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder and told the court he was terrified and never intended to kill.
- Court material frames the Foxtrot Network as a Sweden‑based organised‑crime group allegedly used by the Iranian regime that recruits vulnerable youngsters, and Norwegian authorities have already prosecuted and charged people linked to the scheme.
- The trial highlights how online recruitment, hidden cash and weapons caches are used to run cross‑border plots and shows coordinated UK‑Norway policing that could lead to further charges and tighter scrutiny of recruitment channels.