On Friday evening, a 25-year-old Malaysian citizen was arrested by the PST, charged with conducting illegal signals intelligence against state secrets – using technical installations. The court decided on Sunday to imprison him for four weeks.
He pleads not guilty, and his lawyer Aase Karine Sigmond tells NRK on Monday that the man will not be questioned during the day. To NTB, the lawyer says that she does not think the client will be questioned at all this week.
It is unclear who the man is supposed to have conducted intelligence on behalf of. PST emphasizes that there is no suspicion that Malaysia is behind it.
They believe he is unlikely to have operated alone.
Ola Kaldager, former head of the secret Norwegian intelligence group E14, believes that Russia and China are the countries most interested in what takes place in the government quarters.
– They want to see what kind of attitudes Norway has towards the Ukraine war, and what is being discussed internally when it comes to the deployment of NATO forces on Norwegian soil at any time, says Kaldager to NRK.
– Europe is changing geopolitically, and for the Russians it will therefore be very important to find out what Norway’s position is going forward. I think they are very interested in that, he says.
Also in the threat assessment for 2023 PST points out that the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the relationship between Russia and Western countries, including Norway. And that this affects the threat from Russian intelligence services in Norway.
NRK has tried to contact the Russian and Chinese embassies for comments, but has not received a reply.
– The Russians are interested in Norway’s general attitude to how long Norway has the endurance to support Ukraine with money and material, says Ola Kaldager, former head of the intelligence group E 14.
Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / NRK
Intelligence throughout Europe
Kaldager says the case in Norway is not unique and that a major intelligence operation is taking place throughout Europe.
– Right now there is considerable intelligence activity taking place in Europe, between the main actors Russia and the NATO countries. A major intelligence operation is taking place from both sides, says Kaldager.
He says that since things have tightened in connection with the Ukraine war, the need for intelligence will be greater on both sides.
– Then one might be willing to go beyond the limits to force people to provide this information.
I don’t think the 25-year-old is alone
At the weekend, the police seized a number of data-carrying devices and electronic items linked to the 25-year-old, which the PST will now investigate.
– This indicates that it is not a single student. He has probably been shown how to switch the equipment on and off, and someone else sits at the other end and receives the information, says Kaldager.
He believes that the man may be the spearhead of a system.
– If you are not skilled enough, and cannot read that you may be under surveillance, I would think that PST has notified the Prime Minister’s office.
Kaldager says that the training of intelligence officers is also about them gaining the ability to see if there are things that are not right around them, at all times.
– He’s a young guy who doesn’t attract much attention in the first place. If he is not trained and knows his job, things can quickly go wrong. You don’t choose the one who smells like a spy, you try to find people who go under the radar. He is a dependable young man in a rental car, but then he may not have had the necessary training.
Been in Norway for a short time
The accused 25-year-old is a student, but not at a Norwegian teaching institution. He has been in Norway for a relatively short time, confirms PST to NRK.
– I think that a young student alone hardly has the resources needed to carry out what we believe he has been doing, at least so far, says police attorney Thomas Fredrik Blom in PST to NRK.
The police prosecutor will not comment on how PST believes the man operated, or what goals he had in Norway.
– There is a real and highly imminent danger of tampering with evidence, which means that we are limited in what we are going with now, says Blom.
According to the police attorney, the man did not want to explain himself to PST.
According to defender Aase Karin Sigmond, this is because he was in bad shape after a “dramatic” arrest.
– The arrest, lack of access to the documents, stay in solitary confinement and he was very affected by sitting with the police. He was not prepared to go into any questioning either, she says to NRK.
According to the defender, no questioning of the man is planned for Monday.
– Too early to conclude
Tom Røseth, head teacher in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy.
Photo: Trygve Heide
Tom Røseth at the Norwegian Defense Academy says that signal intelligence means that the 25-year-old may have had sensors in the car that could have intercepted digital communications and perhaps also radio connections.
– How could he have been exposed?
– There is activity in the area around the government quarter, defense management and the Prime Minister’s office that has been suspicious, which is why action has been taken, says Røseth.
Røseth believes that the 25-year-old may most likely have been working on behalf of a state actor.
– Given the situation, the Russians have increased risk, it is reasonable to believe that. But it is too early to draw conclusions. There may also be others, he says.
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2023-09-11 13:00:08
#intelligence #chief #spy #charge #work #Russia #China
