An alleged teenage assassin from Norway smiled and pretended to shoot with his empty hands when armed police raided his hotel room in Huddersfield, a court has heard.
Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, is on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly travelling to Britain on March 17 last year to carry out a “hit” for money.
The talented footballer was allegedly tasked by Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organised crime group used by the Iranian regime, the court heard.
He was thwarted when police came to his hotel room and found a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and 12 rounds of live ammunition, the court was told.
On May 31 last year, a 17-year-old youth was convicted in Norway of attempting as part of the Foxtrot group “to contribute to murder” by recruiting Natland to shoot an unknown person in England, the court heard.
Three more people had been charged by Norwegian police with a decision yet to be taken by prosecutors whether to “indict” them, jurors were told.
On Wednesday, jurors viewed bodyworn video of armed police arresting Natland at Briar Court Hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, two days after his arrival in the UK.
At 5.15am on March 19 last year, officers knocked loudly on his hotel room door saying: “It’s the police, come to the door.”
Natland came out wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up.
He turned to one of the officers and held his hands up, imitating holding a gun and pretending to shoot him with his empty hands.
Another officer immediately took hold of the defendant’s left hand, put him against the wall and he was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
Asked if there were any weapons in his room, he shook his head slightly.
The footage captured an exchange with one of the officers in which a smiling Natland asked if he was “happy”, saying in Norwegian: “That was fun, like.”
Jurors were also told of Natland’s movements since he had arrived at Manchester Airport on a flight from his home in Stavanger, Norway, on March 17 2025.
As he had travelled on a temporary Norwegian passport, he was stopped and spoken to by a Border Force officer.
He told the officer he had come to the UK with just £40 to “visit friends” who he knew online from playing Fortnite and Fifa, the court heard.
He said he worked in a pizza shop, that he may visit a museum and would get more money from a friend who owed him 2,000 Krone (£230).
He later claimed he was in the UK for “tourism” and that his mother did not know he was there, the court heard.
He was refused entry into the UK and bailed to return to the airport on March 21 to catch the next direct flight back home to Stavanger.
On March 18 2025, Natland travelled by taxi from Manchester to Huddersfield where he collected cash hidden in a hide under a bridge.
Later, he bought a mobile phone and picked up a carrier bag containing two guns and ammunition from another hide in nearby woodland, according to agreed facts read in court.
He also bought “work gloves” and a Snickers bar and later that night, took a taxi back to the area he collected the guns and where a stolen Nissan Qashqai was later recovered before returning to his hotel, the court heard.
Before his arrest, the Nissan’s cloned number plates had been referred to by a user “1” in a Signal chat with Natland and a contact known as “Agent 47”, the court was told.
In a search of his hotel room, police recovered £2,000 in notes from the bed and desk, three pairs of nitrile gloves, a semi-automatic pistol, 17 bullets, of which 12 were viable, and a rusted revolver.
Meanwhile, Natland was taken to Huddersfield police station where he spoke to a nurse about his history of cannabis use.
After a police interview in which he answered no comment, Natland was escorted back to the custody desk and while waiting to be taken back to a cell, gesticulated with his finger to an officer and said: “Sneaky sneaky.”
He was charged with firearms offences the next day.
Natland has denied conspiring to murder an unknown person but has admitted possession of the two firearms and ammunition.
The Old Bailey trial was adjourned until Thursday.