A university student from Norway, reportedly in his twenties, has been taken into custody on allegations of espionage for both Russia and Iran while serving as a security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, according to Norwegian authorities.
The individual, whose identity remains undisclosed, has been ordered to remain in detention for a period of four weeks. He co-owns a security firm with a dual national who holds citizenship in Norway and an unspecified eastern European nation, as reported by a local broadcast network.
Oslo police have announced their plans to assess the operational license of this security company following the arrest. The Norwegian domestic intelligence agency, PST, disclosed that the student was apprehended in his garage at home on Wednesday for actions that are believed to have compromised national security.
According to the arrest warrant issued by the district court, authorities found documentation of the suspect’s communication with an individual who appeared to be coordinating his espionage efforts. As per the court documents, the suspect has acknowledged that he had been gathering and relaying information to both Russian and Iranian officials.
During a news conference on Thursday night, PST spokesperson Thomas Blom stated that it was premature to discuss the specifics of the individual’s actions, but confirmed his role as a security guard at the U.S. Embassy. Currently, there are no additional suspects suspected of involvement in this case.
The suspect’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, informed the public broadcaster that his client does admit to providing information to a foreign power but denies any charges of espionage. Elden elaborated, saying, “He is charged with having obtained information that could harm the security situation of third countries.”
As revealed on Friday, the suspect is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in security and preparedness at the University of Tromsø, known as Norway’s Arctic University. Reports indicate that this is not the first incident of its kind at UiT in recent years.
Previously, a guest researcher at UiT, who was part of a notable prisoner exchange with Russia in August, was discovered to be a Russian national named Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin, despite initially claiming to be Brazilian. He had been arrested on espionage charges in 2022.
Norway shares a 198-kilometer (123-mile) border with Russia in the Arctic region. In light of Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine since February 2022, Norway has significantly tightened entry regulations for Russian citizens. Furthermore, in September, the Norwegian government announced considerations for constructing a fence along parts of the border with Russia.