Norwegian Teenager Sentenced to 20 Years Over UK Murder Plot

Johannes Natland, 19, travelled to West Yorkshire in March 2025 to carry out a planned killing, according to BBC News. The Norwegian teenager was later convicted of conspiring to murder.

Iran International reported that he had been recruited by a Swedish crime group which prosecutors linked to the Iranian government. Sky News described the planned killing as work for an Iran-backed gang. Those accounts attribute the Iranian connection to the group behind the plot.

Armed police arrested the teenager at a hotel in Huddersfield, according to Express & Star, which gave his full name as Johannes Kongsnes Natland. NRK reported that around a year and a half passed between his arrest and sentencing.

By October 15, 2026, he had been convicted and was awaiting his sentence. VG reported that the punishment would be decided on Friday. His Norwegian defence lawyer feared a life sentence, according to NRK, and said the defence's goal had been to get him back to Norway.

On October 16, VG reported that the judge had imposed a 20-year sentence. NRK reported a minimum term of 13 years.

There is a discrepancy in the reporting dates. The supplied Sky News report is dated October 15 and already describes a 20-year sentence, while the October 15 reports from NRK and VG say sentencing was still due on Friday. The October 16 coverage confirms the sentence.

Natland has been sentenced to 20 years in Britain for the murder plot. The sentence was imposed at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday morning, according to GB News.

The minimum term is 13 years, according to NRK. Its report also says it remains uncertain whether he will be allowed to serve his sentence in Norway.

The unresolved issue is where Natland will serve his sentence. His defence has made returning him to Norway a priority, but NRK reported no settled outcome on that question as of October 16.