A 19-year-old Norwegian, recruited by the Sweden-based Foxtrot Network, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder after being apprehended in a hotel room in West Yorkshire with firearms and ammunition. The teenager, Johannes Kongsnes Natland, had agreed to carry out a killing for approximately £21,000, a sum offered by the international crime gang known for pioneering the use of teenage killers.
Natland, who had previously expressed excitement about the prospect of killing someone, was arrested in March of the previous year, hours before he was scheduled to execute the planned assassination. His recruitment by Foxtrot exemplifies the gang's strategy of exploiting vulnerable teenagers, a phenomenon Europol has termed 'violence-as-a-service.'
Foxtrot's Modus Operandi
The Foxtrot Network, led by Swedish-Iraqi national Rawa Majid, also known as 'the Kurdish Fox,' has been implicated in a surge of gangland violence in Sweden. The group operates by recruiting children as young as 13 through social media platforms like Telegram, Signal, Instagram, and Snapchat, tasking them with acts of arson, murder, and bombings. The gang's structure includes 'instigators' who finance and order crimes, 'recruiters' who manage the recruitment process, and 'enforcers' who carry out the violent acts.
Due to a legal loophole in Scandinavia where individuals under 15 cannot be held criminally responsible, minors are particularly attractive recruits for carrying out attacks. Foxtrot has expanded its influence beyond Sweden into Norway, where teenagers are hired for assassinations, often receiving between £20,000 and £60,000 per contract.
International Spread and Association with Iran
Majid, the alleged leader of Foxtrot, has been sanctioned by the UK for his role in orchestrating attacks across Europe, reportedly on behalf of the Iranian regime. The group is suspected of involvement in violent plots, particularly targeting Jewish and Israeli interests, including an attempted attack on the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm in January 2024.
The network's activities have also been linked to violent incidents in Norway. In September 2025, multiple grenade explosions occurred outside a nail salon in Oslo, with police suspecting two 13-year-old boys recruited via TikTok were responsible. This was followed by other incidents, including a shooting and a grenade attack on a restaurant, all involving minors.
Foxtrot is not the only Swedish gang operating in Norway, with around 70 such groups active. These gangs anonymously hire teenagers through encrypted messaging apps, often supplying them with smuggled weapons and explosives, including hand grenades.
A Vulnerable Recruit
Natland's background highlights the profile of individuals targeted by Foxtrot. The son of journalists, he began using drugs at 13 and was later diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis. After dropping out of school and spending time in a psychiatric unit and a facility for troubled children, he encountered an individual who recruited him into the Foxtrot Network. He was then added to an online group called 'Assassin EU,' where he was presented with a contract to kill in England.