A lecturer claiming to be a Brazilian researcher has been arrested on suspicion of secretly being a Russian spy In Norway according to a spokesperson for the Norwegian Police Security Service known as PST.
The man, who has no Norwegian citizenship, arrived in the country last year and has researched the northern regions and hybrid threats, Norwegian media wrote. Norway’s Arctic border with Russia is 123 miles long.
The public broadcaster NRK said that investigators believe he was in Norway under a false name and identity while completing espionage work for one of Russia’s intelligence services.
PST is worried that he may have acquired a network and information about Norwegian politics of the northern area. Even if this network or the information gathered bit by bit is not a threat to the security of the kingdom, we are worried that Russia could misuse the information. The individual will be expelled from the Scandinavian country “because we believe he represents a threat to fundamental national interests.”
Norway said last week it had arrested a seventh Russian national suspected of illegally flying drones or taking photographs in restricted areas, mainly in the strategically sensitive far north of Norway.
The growing threat of espionage underlines the need for TSCM services in order to prevent confidential information being unlawfully gathered and then being misused.