FILE - The Norway, left, and US flags are seen on the table at the Pentagon, on Sept. 20, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
ABOSLO, Norway (AP) — A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway was convicted of espionage Wednesday after a court in Oslo found that he spied for Russia and Iran.
The 28-year-old Norwegian man, whose name has not been made public, was sentenced to three years and seven months behind bars. He had acknowledged the indictment’s facts but denied any criminal guilt.
Prosecutors said he handed over details about the embassy’s diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other things, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported. The broadcaster reported that American ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran.
The man's defense attorneys, in a statement Thursday, said the verdict raises questions about what is considered espionage under Norwegian law.
“He lied about having security clearance to agents from other countries and exaggerated his own role," attorney Inger Zadig of Elden Law Firm said in the statement. "He had roughly the same level of access as a janitor at the embassy. The information he shared was worthless and neither separately nor collectively capable of harming individuals or the security interests of any state.â€
The defendant was found guilty of five espionage-related charges and acquitted of gross corruption. His defense attorneys are weighing whether to appeal the verdict, while prosecutor Carl Fredrik Fari said his team is considering appealing the sentence because the state had asked for more than six years in prison.
last November, the man had been studying for a bachelor’s degree in security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University, UiT.
It is a second such case at UiT in recent years, according to NRK.
One of the people the West swapped with Russia in a last year was a UiT guest researcher who claimed to be a Brazilian named José Assis Giammaria, arrested on espionage allegations in 2022. The police revealed him to be a Russian national by the name of
Norway has a 198-kilometer (123-mile) long border with . Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Norway has heavily restricted entry for Russian nationals.
Last year, the Norwegian government said it was considering a plan to along all or part of its border with Russia.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. All rights reserved.
It’s a little-known fact that Canada’s credit unions are among the country’s stron…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
