A Norwegian teenager, Johannes Kongsnes Natland, has been found guilty of travelling to England to carry out an assassination on behalf of an international crime gang, in a case that has exposed how Sweden's ruthless Foxtrot network, reportedly linked to Iran, recruits child soldiers to carry out violence far beyond Stockholm. The 19-year-old, who worked part-time at a pizza restaurant in Stavanger, agreed to shoot an unnamed target for €25,000 (£21,000), telling his girlfriend beforehand that it would "be cool" to "finally kill someone." The case highlights the growing reach of Swedish gang networks, which are increasingly using young, low-level recruits to carry out contract killings across Europe, including on British soil.

Police ambushed Natland in a hotel room in West Yorkshire in March last year, finding him with two working guns, 19 rounds of live ammunition and £2,000 in cash; he mimed shooting an officer before being handcuffed. He was convicted on Wednesday. The Foxtrot network, one of Sweden's most notorious criminal organisations, has been linked to a wave of shootings and bombings in Stockholm and is reported to have connections to Iran, with the gang known for exploiting teenagers and children to carry out its violent operations while insulating senior figures from prosecution.