Norwegian Student Arrested on Charges of Spying on US for Russia

Crime

By Associated Press

Published 10 minutes ago on

November 22, 2024

Norwegian authorities arrest student suspected of spying for Russia and Iran while working as U.S. Embassy guard in Oslo. (AP File)

Suspect admits to collecting and sharing information with Russian and Iranian authorities, according to court order.
The arrested student is pursuing a security and preparedness degree at Norway's Arctic University, UiT.
Norway has heavily restricted entry for Russian nationals and is considering building a fence along its border with Russia.

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OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian student in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia and Iran while working as a guard at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, authorities in Norway have said.

The man, who has not been identified, was ordered to be held in custody for four weeks. He runs a security company jointly with a dual national of Norway and an unspecified eastern European country, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Oslo police said Friday they would review the company’s operating license.

Arrest Details and Allegations

Norway’s domestic intelligence agency, PST, said Thursday night that the man was arrested in his garage at home on Wednesday on suspicion of having damaged national security with his intelligence-related activity.

The arrest warrant from the district court, says, among other things, that the police found records of the man’s assignment dialogue with a person who was apparently guiding his espionage activity, according to NRK.

The man has admitted to collecting and sharing information with Russian and Iranian authorities, the court order says, according to NRK.

It is too early to talk about the details of the man’s activity, PST spokesman Thomas Blom told a news conference Thursday night. PST has confirmed the man was employed as a security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo. There are no other suspects in the case at this point.

The suspect’s attorney, John Christian Elden, told NRK that the man admits he worked for a foreign country but does not plead guilty of espionage.

“He is charged with having obtained information that could harm the security situation of third countries,” Elden said.

Connection to Norway’s Arctic University

It was revealed Friday that the man is studying for a bachelor’s degree in security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University, UiT.

It is a second such case at UiT in recent years, according to NRK.

One of the people the West swapped with Russia in a major prisoner exchange in August was a UiT guest researcher who claimed to be a Brazilian named José Assis Giammaria, arrested on espionage allegations in 2022. The police revealed him to be Russian, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin.

Norway’s Border Security Measures

Norway has a 198-kilometer (123-mile) -long border with Russia in the Arctic. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Norway has heavily restricted entry for Russian nationals.

In September, the Norwegian government said it was considering a plan to build a fence along all or part of its border with Russia.