And Norwegian student of some 20 years was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia e Iran while working as a security guard at the United States Embassy in Osloreported the Norwegian authorities.
The young man, whose identity has not been revealed, will remain under custody for four weeks. According to the Norwegian public media NRKis the owner of a security company that he runs together with a citizen with dual nationality of Norway and a country in the east of Europa which has not been specified. The police of Oslo indicated Friday that it will review the company’s operating license.
Norway’s national intelligence agency, PST, said the suspect was detained in the garage of his home on Wednesday on charges of compromising national security through intelligence-related activities.
According to NRKthe arrest warrant issued by the district court mentions that the police found rrecords of conversations between the detainee and a person who apparently directed his espionage activities. Furthermore, the suspect admitted to collecting and sharing information with Russian and Iranian authoritiesaccording to the court document.
Thomas BlomPST spokesperson, stated in a press conference that it is too early to detail the suspect’s activities. He confirmed that the detainee worked as a security guard at the US embassy and added that, so far, no other suspects have been identified.
The suspect’s defense attorney, John Christian Eldendeclared to NRK that his client admits to having worked for a foreign country, but denies being guilty of espionage.
“He is accused of having obtained information that could compromise the security of third countries,” he said. Elden.
On Friday it was revealed that the suspect is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Safety and Preparation at the Arctic University of Norway (Out). According to NRKthis is the second case in recent years related to said academic institution.
In 2022, a visiting researcher at Outwho claimed to be Brazilian and used the name José Assis Giammariawas arrested on suspicion of espionage. Police later identified him as Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushina Russian citizen. Mikushin He was one of the prisoners exchanged between the West and Russia in a major swap in August 2023.
Norwaywhich shares a 198-kilometer border with Russia in it Arcticha Toughened entry restrictions for Russian citizens since the invasion of Ukraine on the part of Moscow in February 2022. In September, the Norwegian government announced that it was evaluating the possibility of building a fence along part or all of its border with Russia.
(With information from AP)
