A court in Oslo convicted a 28-year-old Norwegian man on espionage charges after finding he spied for Russia and Iran. The man, a former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway, received a sentence of three years and seven months in prison.
Prosecutors said he gave foreign agents embassy floor plans, security routines, and diplomat information, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. They claimed his betrayal endangered both U.S. and Norwegian security interests.
The defendant admitted the facts in the indictment but denied committing any crime. NRK reported that the man’s anger over U.S. ties to Israel and the Gaza conflict pushed him to contact Russian and Iranian officials.
Defence Argues Shared Information Was Useless
The man’s defence attorneys released a statement questioning the verdict’s definition of espionage under Norwegian law.
“He exaggerated his role and lied about his clearance to foreign agents,” said attorney Inger Zadig of the Elden Law Firm.
Zadig added that her client had janitorial-level access and that the data he shared was useless to any state.
“The information could not harm individuals or national security,” she said.
The Oslo court found the man guilty on five espionage-related charges but cleared him of gross corruption. His lawyers are considering an appeal, while prosecutor Carl Fredrik Fari said the state may appeal for a longer sentence, as prosecutors had sought over six years in prison.
Case Highlights Rising Spy Tensions in the Arctic
Police arrested the man last November while he was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University (UiT). NRK noted this was the second espionage case linked to UiT in recent years.
One previous suspect, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin, posed as a Brazilian researcher named José Assis Giammaria. Authorities arrested him in 2022 and later included him in a major Russia-West prisoner exchange last year.
Norway, which shares a 198-kilometre border with Russia, has tightened restrictions on Russian nationals since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Norwegian government also plans to build a fence along parts of its northern border to reinforce national security.
