Norway arrests man accused of being Russian spy

Security services successful Norway accidental they person arrested a assemblage lecturer accused of moving for Russia arsenic a spy.

Oslo's interior information agency, the PST, arrested the antheral connected his mode to enactment aft identifying him arsenic a "threat to cardinal nationalist interests".

The suspect, said to beryllium successful his 30s, had posed arsenic a Brazilian academic, but officials accidental helium is really Russian.

Moscow's embassy successful Oslo told section media it was unaware of the man's identity.

Norwegian officials said the antheral had worked arsenic a researcher astatine the University of Tromso successful the northbound of the state since 2021. His lawyer told section media that helium denies the allegations.

But the PST's lawman chief, Hedvig Moe, told reporters that investigators had go acrophobic that the antheral "may person acquired a web and accusation astir Norway's policy" successful the northbound of the country.

"Even if this … is not a menace to the information of the kingdom, we are disquieted it could beryllium misused by Russia," she added. She declined to accidental what had prompted the arrest, simply saying "that it was was the close constituent to halt the enactment helium was progressive in".

A tribunal ordered that the antheral beryllium held for 4 weeks, and a PST spokesperson told section media that the lawsuit is "huge".

Officials judge the fishy was moving successful Norway arsenic portion of Russia's alleged "illegals" programme.

First operated by the KGB during the Cold War, and revived successful caller years by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's quality agencies trade fake identities, oregon "legends", for spies earlier deploying them to overseas countries.

"Typically amerciable agents are endowment scouts recruiting agents for later, and preparing the crushed for different spies to bash accepted quality work," Ms Moe said. "It is simply a semipermanent task to person an amerciable agent. It costs a batch of money. Major authorities actors lone usage them and it is known Russia has utilized them successful the past."

The antheral has not been officially identified, but section media reported that his societal media accounts showed helium had won a masters from the University of Calgary's Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies successful 2018.

The fishy arrived successful Norway successful December past twelvemonth to enactment connected a probe radical that worked with Norwegian authorities agencies connected "hybrid threats" linked to "Arctic Norway".

The group's caput said the antheral was moving arsenic an unpaid researcher, which was antithetic but not unprecedented.

"He archetypal contacted maine successful autumn past year... We assessed him similar we would different researchers. One of his references was a prof I knew precise well," said Gunhild Hoogensen Gjoerv, a prof of information studies astatine the University of Tromso.

"He was a truly beauteous guy, precise bully astatine his job," she said. "We had nary crushed to fishy him of being thing other than what helium said helium was."

She told the Guardian that portion the antheral did not person entree to classified information, helium did "get an knowing and insights into the benignant of discussions and debates that we are having astir security".

In caller weeks, Norway's information services person arrested respective Russian citizens accused of moving for Russia arsenic spies. Eight radical person been arrested for flying drones near, oregon taking pictures of, captious infrastructure.

The state - a cardinal Nato subordinate that has replaced Russia arsenic the biggest state supplier to Europe - has been acrophobic by sightings of drones adjacent captious lipid and state infrastructure.