A Norwegian citizen in his 50s has been charged with espionage after several meetings with what the country's Police Security Service (PST) believes was a Russian intelligence officer.
The PST tweeted that the man was charged with violating sections 123 and 124 of the Penal Code, which deal with the disclosure of state secrets and gross disclosure of state secrets and may lead to imprisonment of up to three and 15 years respectively. According to the PST, the man received "not insignificant" amounts of money for his information.
PST pågrep lørdag 15. august en norsk borger i Oslo. Mannen er siktet for å ha overlevert informasjon til fremmed stat som kan skade grunnleggende nasjonale interesser, § 123 og § 124. Han blir fremstilt for varetektsfengsling i Oslo tingrett mandag 17. august kl 1500.
— PST (@PSTnorge) August 17, 2020
TV2 identified the man as an Oslo area resident in his 50s. He is a Norwegian citizen, but born in India. In 2001, he completed a doctorate on nickel and magnesium at the Department of Materials Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and was previously research director at Sintef and Umoe Solar. Prior to his arrest, he played a key role at DNV GL (Det Norske Veritas), an internationally accredited registrar and classification society, which was confirmed by its media director Per Wiggo Richardsen, who pledged to work closely with the PST to "get to the bottom of the matter". According to the newspaper Verdens Gang, the man's speciality brings him into contact with the Norwegian defence industry and defence technology researchers.
"What I can say is that he does not admit criminal guilt. He has explained himself and is willing to explain himself further to the police", lawyer Marianne Darre-Næss said after a prison meeting.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she has been informed of the case, but refused to provide further comment, as did the Foreign Ministry.
Former intelligence chief Ole Kaldager, however, suggested it could be a "scoop" if a major spy had been caught. He stressed that Norway hasn't had any serious espionage cases since former agency chief Arne Treholt was arrested and charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Iraq in 1984.
In its national threat assessment for 2020, the PST emphasised espionage as one of the most grave threats against Norway. The PST surmised that Russian, Chinese, and Iranian intelligence directed at the Norwegian authorities, business, defence and emergency preparedness, and Norwegian research communities posed the greatest threat. Spy recruitment has been identified as one of the "core tasks" for foreign intelligence.
Relations between Oslo and Moscow have become increasingly tense in recent years, amid reciprocal spying accusations and arrests, stern rhetoric, and mutual military build-ups. While Moscow is alarmed by Oslo's broadening collaboration with NATO over a number of issues, including the deployment of US marines, extensive drills, and the upgrade of polar radars, Norway is apprehensive of Russia's ongoing military upgrade, particularly in the Northern Fleet.
