Recruited at 16: How European crime gangs use teenagers for hits
A Norwegian teenager was recruited online and sent to England with instructions to carry out a killing, according to details emerging from a case that illustrates a growing criminal phenomenon across Europe. The teenager, identified in court documents as Natland, was arrested in Huddersfield before the intended target was revealed to him. Counterterrorism detectives are still investigating whether the planned killing was criminal or politically motivated, including possible links to Iran.
Natland, the son of two journalists from Stavanger, grew up in a comfortable home but later drifted into drug use and developed psychosis. He spent time in rehabilitation and a short period at a children's home. It was there that he met another teenager using the online handle UnknownHustler, who first sent him a request for someone to carry out a hit in the United Kingdom. The message read: “Killing in England 270k” — about 270,000 Norwegian kroner, or roughly £21,000.
That request had originated from another teenager with the handle Generalen. Generalen, who was 16 at the time and had lived in a children's home for the previous three years, subsequently recruited Natland for the operation. According to police, this chain of recruitment is part of a system known as “VaaS” (Violence as a Service), where criminal networks subcontract killings to vulnerable young people, often through encrypted messaging apps and social media.
After being recruited, Natland was passed to a member of the Foxtrot network, a Swedish criminal gang, operating under the username Agent 47 — borrowed from the Hitman video game series. Swedish authorities have identified Ali Shehad Ahmed, a close associate of Foxtrot leader Majid, as the person behind the Agent 47 account. Agent 47 booked Natland's one-way ticket to Manchester Airport and helped him obtain an emergency passport. Using the Signal messaging app, Agent 47 guided Natland at every stage of his journey before handing him over to a logistics coordinator with the username “1”.
Treating Natland almost like a character in a computer game, “1” sent him maps and videos showing the location of guns hidden in woodland near Huddersfield. Another video showed how to access a stash of cash concealed in undergrowth near a foot tunnel. Once Natland was installed in a hotel with the weapons, Agent 47 messaged: “We have much to do tomorrow.” Natland was arrested the next morning. He had not yet been told who he was to kill.
The case has drawn attention to the use of teenagers as expendable operatives in transnational organised crime. Experts note that encrypted platforms and anonymous handles make it difficult for law enforcement to trace the masterminds. The Foxtrot network, based in Sweden, is known for its violent activities and has been linked to similar recruitment drives across Europe. While the exact number of such cases is unclear, prosecutors and police in several countries have reported a rise in minors being used for serious violence.
For Natland, the case raises difficult questions about vulnerability, manipulation, and criminal responsibility. He has been described as a victim as much as a perpetrator by some observers, but the legal system must weigh his actions carefully. What remains unanswered is the intended target and the motive. Detectives are examining whether the killing was ordered by criminal rivals or as a politically motivated act, possibly on behalf of Iran. Until that is resolved, the full picture of this attempted hit will remain incomplete.
The case serves as a cautionary tale about how easily a troubled young person can be drawn into a world of violence through online contacts. It also highlights the challenges for European law enforcement in dismantling networks that exploit vulnerable youth across borders.
