A Norwegian teenager told his girlfriend 'I can finally kill someone' and 'life will be wonderful' before flying to England to carry out a hit for an Iran-linked gang, a court heard.
Johannes Natland, 18 at the time, told his then girlfriend that 'it will be a bit cool to really kill someone' and that they would 'celebrate' if he didn't get caught, the Old Bailey heard.
Two days later, Natland flew from his home town of Stavanger, south-west Norway, to Manchester on 'a crazy mission' to assassinate a target in the UK, it is alleged.
He was thwarted when he was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on March 19 last year, two days after his arrival.
Police found a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, and 12 rounds of live ammunition in his possession, as well as £2,000 in cash, the court has heard.
Recruitment by Swedish gang
Natland was allegedly recruited over social media by the Swedish Foxtrot Network, 'an organised crime group used by the Iranian regime' that has been sanctioned by the US and UK.
He was expecting to be paid more than £20,000 for the job but 'neither knew, nor cared' who the target was, the court has been told.
On March 15, two days before he flew to the UK, Natland messaged his on-off girlfriend Sara Solbi, 18, telling her: 'I'm going on a crazy mission,' adding: 'I have wild information to share.'
Giving evidence at the Old Bailey today, Ms Solbi said Natland then told her: 'Now I can finally kill someone and it's perfect. I get money to do it, I can kill someone and life will be wonderful.'
She said she thought the mission was 'a bad idea'.
Solbi said she told him: 'Are you sure, have you thought it through?' But he replied: 'It will be a bit cool really to kill someone. If I don't get caught we have to celebrate.'
Dressed in all black, Ms Solbi smiled at her ex-boyfriend as she gave evidence from the witness box, explaining that she didn't think 'he could do much about the situation' given who had recruited him.
'I don't know if he can retract himself from the mission,' she told the court. 'He was becoming hesitant as the days came close towards the mission. He couldn't process if this was really going to happen.'
But when he arrived in Huddersfield, he sent her a photo of him smiling, wearing protective gloves and holding a gun with the message: 'Soon it will happen.'
Paul Hynes KC, defending, suggested Natland had not said it would be 'really cool to kill someone', to which Solbi said: 'I don't think he said cool. He wanted to kill someone.'
Friend's testimony
The court also heard from Natland's school friend, Lucas Oftedal, 19, who said the defendant had told him about 'the Foxes' outside a house party in Stavanger on March 15 last year.
Mr Oftedal said he asked Natland what he was doing with them, to which he replied: 'I am going to get a lot of money, someone is going to die.'
Mr Oftedal said he understood 'the Foxes' was a reference to the 'very dangerous' Swedish gang that recruited children to carry out 'executions' and was 'an increasing problem in Norway'.
He also described his friend's descent from a popular, able student and talented footballer into a troubled teenager who abused drugs.
Natland had been 'quite a cool student', but 'had been struggling with drugs for a while', Mr Oftedal said.
The alleged hitman had been taking Xanax - an anti-depressant - marijuana and alcohol, and Mr Oftedal said he had heard that he was also taking opiates and cocaine.
Natland has admitted possession of a 9mm semi-automatic Luger pistol and a revolver along with 12 rounds of ammunition but denies conspiracy to murder.
The trial continues.
