Four Russians accused of illegal photography in Nordland were not told what they are accused of:

Four Russians were arrested for a week for illegal photographs in Nordland. They still don’t know what the police think they photographed, says the defense attorney for the defendant in the case.

– They don’t know what they should have taken with photos that are not allowed. It’s incredibly difficult to defend against something you don’t know what it is, attorney Christian Wulff Hansen tells VG.

She defends the only woman among the four Russian citizens, who are in custody for violating the ban on photography in Nordland.

The four were stopped in a car in Mosjøen on Tuesday after someone allegedly saw them taking pictures and filming in a location where photography is not allowed. A week later, the woman is not yet confronted with what she allegedly photographed, says Wulff Hansen.

The district court declared the charges against them, and then sealed the documents. Their lawyers have a duty of confidentiality regarding the content.

– He says he photographed the Northern Lights. They were ordinary tourists, who had no other purpose in Norway. She really wants to explain and clear up the misunderstandings, but she doesn’t know what she is accused of, says Wulff Hansen.

The woman is in solitary confinement, with a letter and a restraining order.

Preparedness reached its peak after an explosion and a leak from a gas pipe in the Baltic Sea in September. In recent weeks, several drones have been spotted at airports, oil rigs and gas plants along the entire west coast and in northern Norway.

On Wednesday morning, Bergen Flesland Airport was closed due to at least one drone. The four Russians arrested in Mosjøen only had traditional photographic equipment, not drones.

And on Wednesday morning he became a Russian citizen arrested to Hammerfest for flying a drone in Norwegian territory on Svalbard, Finnmark police confirm.

A tight schedule

Tuesday 11 October the four were stopped in a car in Mosjøen, following reports that they had photographed a shielded object in Nordland. In the car, the police found normal photographic equipment and a relatively large collection of photographs.

Two days later the four were produced for remand in Helgeland District Court. The police wanted to jail them for two weeks, but the court only allowed seven days. The sentence was overturned.

Monday 17 October Nordland police sent out a press release on the case, almost at the same time as the Ministry of Justice convened a press conference.

Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) spoke to the press about the arrest and praised the police for being vigilant. She said it at the same time The police didn’t know what was behind it photography, and that one should not be suspicious of those who live a completely normal life.

By Friday the police must now re-submit the accused for custody, otherwise he must be released. In court, the police must present the findings and defend why they should be kept in prison. None of the lawyers have been notified of a new court round.

Nordland Police will not answer questions about the detention of a new product text or any findings in the case, to VG’s questions. They will comment on the matter only towards the end of the week.

– Expect to be released quickly

Six Russians have now been charged in similar cases. On the same day the four were arrested in Mosjøen, a Russian man was also arrested stopped when exiting Norway via Storskog, with two drones in the luggage. Four days later, on 15 October, a man was stopped at Tromsø airport with a drone in his luggage. He explained it shot in Kirkenes.

The Russian embassy has declared to NTB who are concerned about the “psychosis taking place in Norway”, where ordinary tourists suffer.

All the lawyers claim that the four defendants do not understand the allegations:

– She believes she has done nothing wrong and expects to be released as soon as they can review the evidence, says Wulff Hansen.

– He claims to be a tourist. He doesn’t understand why he was arrested and imprisoned, and it’s pretty clear he expects to be released quickly, says Tarjei Magnus Hugaas, who defends one of the three men.

– My client accepts a shorter detention period so that the police have the opportunity to get him out of the case. I also believe that this clarification needs to be discovered relatively quickly, says attorney Allan Bruland Rognan.

– He claims that they were on a vacation trip and that he did nothing that falls within the provisions under which he is charged. Other than that we have no comments, there are clause documents and there is an ongoing investigation, says defender Arne Johansen.