Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
The Guardian's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
8
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
A teenage hitman who travelled from Norway to the UK with the intention of carrying out a murder on behalf of an Iran-backed international crime gang has been jailed for 20 years.
asserted
who → travel → years
Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, a talented footballer, had agreed to shoot an unknown target in return for €25,000 (£21,500).
asserted
Natland → agree → 25,000
He travelled to the UK in March last year from his home in Stavanger, and two days later – before he could carry out the hit – armed police arrested him at a hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
uncertain
police → travel → Huddersfield
Officers found him in possession of a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, 12 rounds of live ammunition and gloves.
asserted
Officers → find → ammunition
Natland admitted possessing the firearms and ammunition and said he had intended to shoot himself in the foot to get out of the “pickle” he was in.
asserted
he → admit → pickle
However, he was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and on Friday was sentenced to 20 years in detention.
asserted
he → find → detention
The court heard that Natland had been recruited by another teenager, referred to as Generalen, who was working for the proscribed Swedish Foxtrot gang, which is backed by the Iranian regime and known for recruiting children as young as 13 to become involved in drug smuggling and violent crimes.
asserted
which → hear → smuggling
Natland had been controlled by an English-speaking boss called Agent 47, an apparent reference to the Hitman gaming and film franchise.
asserted
Natland → control → franchise
The identity and whereabouts of Agent 47 remain unknown.
asserted
identity → remain → Agent
Natland flew into Manchester on a temporary passport and was stopped by Border Force officials, who bailed him to return to the airport to catch the next direct flight home.
asserted
who → fly → flight
Instead, he travelled by taxi to Huddersfield where he booked into the Briar Court hotel and picked up the guns and ammunition, as well as £2,000 in cash.
asserted
he → travel → cash
He was directed to a stolen Nissan with false number plates, which was to be used in the murder.
asserted
which → direct → murder
While in the hotel, Natland took selfies with the guns and cash spread out on his bed, and bragged to his girlfriend that he had the “bangs in the bag”.
asserted
he → take → bag
Armed police arrived to arrest him at 5.15am the next day.
asserted
police → arrive → 5.15am
Paul Hynes KC, defending, pointed to Natland’s age at the time of the offending and said he had been a “young, popular, successful student and sportsman” before he went “off the rails” after he became addicted to drugs.
asserted
he → defend → drugs
Giving evidence, Natland told jurors: “I wasn’t an international assassin.
asserted
I → give → jurors
I thought people had this impression and expected me to be this guy.
asserted
me → think → impression
I knew I wasn’t.”
asserted
I → know → ?
However, in a televised sentencing at Woolwich crown court in south-east London, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said messages he had sent showed “not only participation but at points excitement” about what he had been planning to do.
asserted
he → televise → what
“You agreed to be the enforcer and pursued it, despite numerous opportunities to extricate yourself,” she said.
asserted
she → agree → 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.”
asserted
you → shoot → what
The Aporia
