A jury has failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a Norwegian man accused of being hired to carry out a murder in England. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, stood trial over allegations that he agreed to shoot an unidentified target on behalf of a crime syndicate linked to Iran.

The prosecution contended that Natland made arrangements with the Swedish Foxes gang in March of last year to perform the killing for a payment of £25,000 (approximately £21,650). However, Natland was arrested just two days after arriving in the UK. Authorities recovered two firearms and 12 live bullets in his possession.

During the trial, Natland admitted to possessing the weapons and ammunition but denied any conspiracy to commit murder. He told the court that his intention was to shoot himself in the foot as a way to extricate himself from the situation, describing it as a “pickle.”

Following the deadlock, prosecutors have indicated their intention to pursue a retrial in an effort to secure a verdict. The case highlighted the challenges of prosecuting cross-border criminal conspiracies involving organized crime networks operating across Europe.