A Norwegian court convicted a 28-year-old former US Embassy security guard of espionage on Wednesday. Judges in Oslo found that he spied for Russia and Iran, sentencing him to three years and seven months in prison.
Prosecutors said he handed over embassy floor plans, security routines, and diplomat details, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The man admitted the facts in the indictment but denied criminal intent.
Investigators said he approached Russian and Iranian contacts because of US ties to Israel and the war in Gaza.
NRK reported that the man’s actions gave foreign agents sensitive operational data, though his motives were personal and political.
Defence Challenges the Definition of Espionage
The man’s defence team questioned how Norwegian law defines espionage. In a statement, attorney Inger Zadig of Elden Law Firm argued that the information shared had no value to any foreign state.
“He lied about having security clearance and exaggerated his role,” Zadig said.
“His access level was similar to a janitor’s. Nothing he shared could harm anyone or any nation.”
The court found him guilty on five espionage-related charges but acquitted him of gross corruption.
Defence lawyers said they may appeal the ruling, while prosecutor Carl Fredrik Fari said his office could appeal the sentence because the state had sought over six years in prison.
Espionage Cases Rise Amid Growing Russian Tensions
Police arrested the man last November, while he studied security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University (UiT). NRK noted that this was the second UiT-related espionage case in recent years.
One of the people exchanged in a major 2023 prisoner swap between the West and Russia was a UiT guest researcher posing as a Brazilian named José Assis Giammaria. Authorities later identified him as Russian agent Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin.
Norway shares a 198-kilometre border with Russia in the Arctic. Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Oslo has tightened border control and restricted Russian entry.
Last year, the Norwegian government announced plans to build a border fence, citing national security concerns and increased Russian intelligence activity.
