OSLO:A man has been arrested in Norway accused of espionage, Norway’s intelligence services said Sunday, as media reported he was a foreigner eavesdropping on government offices including the prime minister’s.
Intelligence service PST refused to disclose the man’s identity, age or nationality.
However, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, reported that the man is of Malaysian origin but there is no suspicion that Malaysia is involved, reported NST.
He was arrested on Friday and is accused of “intelligence activity, more specifically signals intelligence by use of electronic devices,“ PST spokesman Trond Hugubakken told AFP.
Norwegian broadcaster NRK said the man was a 25-year-old foreigner, and that his rental car had been caught on security cameras at the same time as signals were picked up at the government headquarters, the prime minister’s office and the defence ministry.
Hugubakken said PST had seized “data units and technical equipment” when the man was arrested.
The spokesman said PST was reluctant to disclose details of the case because “one hypothesis we have is that he was not operating alone.”
The man rejected the charges when he appeared Sunday before a judge, who ordered him held in preventive custody for four weeks with no visits or communications, with the first fortnight to be spent in isolation, Hugubakken said. - AFP
