An Oslo court convicted a 28-year-old former US Embassy guard of espionage on Wednesday. Judges ruled that he spied for Russia and Iran and sentenced him to three years and seven months in prison.
Prosecutors said the man leaked confidential details about the embassy’s diplomats, floor plans, and security procedures, according to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. The man admitted the factual claims in the indictment but denied criminal wrongdoing.
NRK reported that the man’s anger over US-Israel ties and the Gaza war motivated him to contact Russian and Iranian officials.
Defence Lawyers Question Definition of Espionage
In a Thursday statement, defence attorney Inger Zadig of Elden Law Firm said the verdict raised legal questions about how Norway defines espionage.
“He lied about having security clearance and exaggerated his role,” Zadig said.
“His access level matched that of a janitor, and the information he shared had no value or threat to any nation’s security.”
The court found him guilty of five espionage-related offences but acquitted him of gross corruption. Defence lawyers are considering an appeal, while prosecutor Carl Fredrik Fari said the state may appeal the sentence, arguing that the prosecution sought a six-year term instead.
Authorities arrested the man last November, when he was studying security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University (UiT).
Norway Tightens Security Amid Growing Spy Concerns
The case marks the second espionage incident involving UiT in recent years. In 2022, Norwegian police arrested a guest researcher posing as a Brazilian named José Assis Giammaria, who turned out to be Russian agent Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin. He later appeared in a major prisoner exchange between the West and Russia.
Norway shares a 198-kilometre border with Russia in the Arctic. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Oslo has restricted Russian entry and tightened surveillance along the frontier.
In 2023, the Norwegian government announced plans to build a border fence to enhance national security amid rising espionage threats.
