A court in Oslo convicted a 28-year-old Norwegian man on Wednesday for spying for Russia and Iran. The former U.S. Embassy security guard received a three-year and seven-month prison sentence for espionage.
The man admitted to the facts in the indictment but denied criminal wrongdoing. Prosecutors said he gave Russian and Iranian contacts details about the embassy’s diplomats, building layouts, and security procedures, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
NRK also reported that the man decided to contact the two countries after becoming frustrated by U.S. ties to Israel and the war in Gaza.
Defence Lawyers Question Espionage Definition
The man’s lawyers said the verdict creates uncertainty about how Norway defines espionage.
“He lied about having security clearance and exaggerated his position,” attorney Inger Zadig from Elden Law Firm said in a statement.
Zadig argued that the man had minimal access, similar to that of a janitor, and shared information of no value.
“The material he provided could not harm anyone or any nation’s security,” she said.
The court found the defendant guilty of five espionage-related charges but cleared him of gross corruption.
His legal team is still considering an appeal, while prosecutor Carl Fredrik Fari said the state may challenge the length of the sentence, noting that prosecutors sought over six years in prison.
Espionage Concerns Grow Near Russia Border
Authorities arrested the man last November while he studied security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University (UiT). NRK noted this marks the second espionage case involving a UiT student in recent years.
One of the people freed in a Russia-West prisoner exchange last year was a UiT guest researcher posing as Brazilian citizen José Assis Giammaria, who Norway later identified as Russian national Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin.
Norway shares a 198-kilometre Arctic border with Russia and has tightened entry restrictions for Russian nationals since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Last year, the Norwegian government announced plans to consider fencing parts of the Russian border, citing national security concerns amid rising espionage cases in the region.
