Teenage hitman who travelled to Britain to kill for Iranian crime gang jailed for 20 years

He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate.

The 19-year-old was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield two days after his arrival to the UK, found with a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and 12 rounds of live ammunition.

He had agreed to shoot an unknown target for 25,000 euros (£21,500) in March last year.

Natland admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition recovered upon his arrest, but claimed he would have shot himself in the foot to get out of the “pickle” he was in.

In a televised sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “You were recruited in Norway to travel to England and kill an unidentified target. You agreed to be the enforcer and pursued it, despite numerous opportunities to extricate yourself.

“Although the fact that no one was shot dead or physically harmed is important, I am sure had the intervention of the police not prevented the plan from proceeding, you would have done what you had agreed to."

She said messages he sent showed “not only participation, but at points excitement” about what he was planning to do.

The court heard that Natland was recruited by another teenager referred to as “Generalen” who was working for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang.

The gang is backed by the Iranian regime, and is known for deploying children as young as 13 in drug smuggling and violent crimes.

Natland was controlled by an English-speaking boss called Agent 47, in an apparent reference to the Hitman gaming and film franchise.