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Local Norway
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Local Norway
Norwegian man charged with spying for Russia against US
In an indictment published by the Oslo State Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday, the man has been charged with committing serious intelligence crimes by handing over information that "individually or collectively" could "harm fundamental national interests". According to the prosecutor, the man handed over floor plans, addresses and other information to Iran and Russia at secret meetings in Serbia, Turkey and Norway. Russian authorities then, the prosecution claims, paid him €10,000 for the information, which, according to the indictment, was handed over to him in Norway and Serbia. Iranian authorities, meanwhile, allegedly paid him 0.17 bitcoin, equivalent to around 100,000 kroner, handing the bitcoin over in Oslo and Turkey. If found guilty, the man faces up to 21 years in prison. "This is a rare type of case. It is the first time we have tried these particular provisions," Oslo State Attorney Carl Fari told the public broadcaster NRK . Advertisement The man acknowledges the facts in the case, but denies criminal liability, his defense attorney, Inger Zadig at Elden Law Firm, told NRK. "This case is primarily about pure law and whether or to what extent the information was secret within the meaning of the law and whether it could harm fundamental national interests," Zadig said. "He has laid all his cards on the table, provided valuable information that has led to clarification, not only of this case, but which also has significance beyond this case." As well as the floor plans, the man handed over a list of employees from the Norwegian Intelligence Service, names, addresses, telephone numbers and vehicle details of embassy staff and diplomats and their families, the roles of the embassy staff, and security procedures at the embassy. The trial has been scheduled for August 19th in Oslo District Court and will take two weeks.
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway is accused of spying for Russia and Iran
OSLO — A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway has been indicted by prosecutors there on suspicion of espionage after he allegedly spied for Russia and Iran, state broadcaster NRK said Wednesday. The Norwegian man, whose name has not been made public, was arrested last November on suspicion of having damaged national security. He is accused of handing over details about the embassy's diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other things, NRK reported. His defense attorney, Inger Zadig, said her client acknowledges the indictment's facts but denies any criminal guilt. 'At its core, this case concerns legal interpretation — specifically, whether, and to what extent, the information in question was 'classified' under the law, and whether it was capable of harming fundamental national interests,' she wrote in an email to the Associated Press. 'If not, then sharing the information is not a criminal offense. Our client did not hold a security clearance, and his access to information that could threaten vital national interests was more or less non-existent. These issues will be thoroughly addressed in court.' The broadcaster reported that America's ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran. The defendant faces up to 21 years in prison, NRK reported. The U.S. Embassy and the prosecutor's office did not respond to AP's requests for comment. At the time of his arrest, the man had been 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 last year 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 has a 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. Last year, the Norwegian government said it was considering a plan to build a fence along all or part of its border with Russia.
19 hours ago
- Politics
A former security guard at the US Embassy in Norway is accused of spying for Russia and Iran
OSLO, Norway -- A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway has been indicted by prosecutors there on suspicion of espionage after he allegedly spied for Russia and Iran, state broadcaster NRK said Wednesday. The Norwegian man, whose name has not been made public, was arrested last November on suspicion of having damaged national security. He is accused of handing over details about the embassy's diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other things, NRK reported. His defense attorney, Inger Zadig, said her client acknowledges the indictment's facts but denies any criminal guilt. 'At its core, this case concerns legal interpretation — specifically, whether, and to what extent, the information in question was 'classified' under the law, and whether it was capable of harming fundamental national interests,' she wrote in an email to The Associated Press. 'If not, then sharing the information is not a criminal offense. Our client did not hold a security clearance, and his access to information that could threaten vital national interests was more or less non-existent. These issues will be thoroughly addressed in court.' The broadcaster reported that America's ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran. The defendant faces up to 21 years in prison, NRK reported. The U.S. Embassy and the prosecutor's office did not respond to AP's requests for comment. At the time of his arrest, the man had been 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 last year 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 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. build a fence along all or part of its border with Russia.
San Francisco Chronicle
20 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
A former security guard at the US Embassy in Norway is accused of spying for Russia and Iran
OSLO, Norway (AP) — A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway has been indicted by prosecutors there on suspicion of espionage after he allegedly spied for Russia and Iran, state broadcaster NRK said Wednesday. The Norwegian man, whose name has not been made public, was arrested last November on suspicion of having damaged national security. He is accused of handing over details about the embassy's diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other things, NRK reported. His defense attorney, Inger Zadig, said her client acknowledges the indictment's facts but denies any criminal guilt. 'At its core, this case concerns legal interpretation — specifically, whether, and to what extent, the information in question was 'classified' under the law, and whether it was capable of harming fundamental national interests,' she wrote in an email to The Associated Press. 'If not, then sharing the information is not a criminal offense. Our client did not hold a security clearance, and his access to information that could threaten vital national interests was more or less non-existent. These issues will be thoroughly addressed in court.' The broadcaster reported that America's ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran. At the time of his arrest, the man had been 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 last year 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 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.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A former security guard at the US Embassy in Norway is accused of spying for Russia and Iran
OSLO, Norway (AP) — A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway has been indicted by prosecutors there on suspicion of espionage after he allegedly spied for Russia and Iran, state broadcaster NRK said Wednesday. The Norwegian man, whose name has not been made public, was arrested last November on suspicion of having damaged national security. He is accused of handing over details about the embassy's diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other things, NRK reported. His defense attorney, Inger Zadig, said her client acknowledges the indictment's facts but denies any criminal guilt. 'At its core, this case concerns legal interpretation — specifically, whether, and to what extent, the information in question was 'classified' under the law, and whether it was capable of harming fundamental national interests,' she wrote in an email to The Associated Press. 'If not, then sharing the information is not a criminal offense. Our client did not hold a security clearance, and his access to information that could threaten vital national interests was more or less non-existent. These issues will be thoroughly addressed in court.' The broadcaster reported that America's ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran. The defendant faces up to 21 years in prison, NRK reported. The U.S. Embassy and the prosecutor's office did not respond to AP's requests for comment. At the time of his arrest, the man had been 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 last year 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 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. Last year, the Norwegian government said it was considering a plan to build a fence along all or part of its border with Russia. Solve the daily Crossword
