Norwegian authorities have formally charged a former security guard at the US Embassy in Oslo for allegedly espionage in favor of Russia and Iran.
The man, whose identity has not been revealed, was arrested in November last year and is accused of having compromised national security by handing over sensitive information about the US diplomatic delegationincluding building plans, security routines and personnel data.
The case has been revealed by public radio and television NRKwhich details that the accused contacted Moscow and Tehran motivated by Washington’s foreign policy, in particular his support for Israel in the current conflict in Gaza.
The information would have been shared while he was studying for a degree in security and preparedness at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT), according to reports. The Washington Post.
Your defense attorney, Inger Zadigdoes not deny the material facts of the accusation, but rejects that he has committed a crime: “The case revolves around a legal interpretation.”
And he added: “whether the information shared was classified or could actually put fundamental national interests at risk“Zadig wrote in an email to Associated Press.
“Our client did not have security clearance and their access to sensitive data was practically non-existent. “This will be a key point in the trial.”
The accused could face a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison. Neither the US Embassy in Norway nor the Norwegian Prosecutor’s Office have made public comments on the case.
Border tension
The investigation coincides with a tightening of border surveillance and security policies in Norway, in a context marked by Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Nordic country, which shares 198 kilometers of border with Russia in the Arctichas imposed severe restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens and has even proposed the construction of a border fence.
This scandal is not the first linked to the Arctic University. In 2022, another alleged academic affiliated with the center – posing as a Brazilian citizen with the name José Assis Giammaria- He was arrested on suspicion of espionage.
It was later revealed that he was actually a Russian citizen, Mikhail Valelyevich eatsand was part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West.
modern cold war
The case revives alarms about the infiltration of agents in strategic institutions, even in countries considered safe and allies of the United States.
The conjunction of Russian and Iranian espionage, in this case, has drawn special attention from analysts, as they are two powers that usually operate separately in the field of intelligence.
Pending the trial, which could clarify whether the shared data actually constituted a threat to American or Norwegian interests, the case becomes a new chapter in the cold war of the 21st century.
An underground fight for information in which even door guards can become key agents.