A Norwegian man who worked as a security guard at the US embassy in Oslo has been charged with spying on behalf of Russia and Iran.
In an indictment published by the Oslo State Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, the man has been charged with committing serious intelligence crimes by handing over information that “individually or collectively” could “harm fundamental national interests”.
According to the prosecutor, the man handed over floor plans, addresses and other information to Iran and Russia at secret meetings in Serbia, Turkey and Norway.
Russian authorities then, the prosecution claims, paid him €10,000 for the information, which, according to the indictment, was handed over to him in Norway and Serbia.
Iranian authorities, meanwhile, allegedly paid him 0.17 bitcoin, equivalent to around 100,000 kroner, handing the bitcoin over in Oslo and Turkey.
If found guilty, the man faces up to 21 years in prison.
“This is a rare type of case. It is the first time we have tried these particular provisions,” Oslo State Attorney Carl Fari told the public broadcaster NRK.
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The man acknowledges the facts in the case, but denies criminal liability, his defense attorney, Inger Zadig at Elden Law Firm, told NRK.
“This case is primarily about pure law and whether or to what extent the information was secret within the meaning of the law and whether it could harm fundamental national interests,” Zadig said.
“He has laid all his cards on the table, provided valuable information that has led to clarification, not only of this case, but which also has significance beyond this case.”
As well as the floor plans, the man handed over a list of employees from the Norwegian Intelligence Service, names, addresses, telephone numbers and vehicle details of embassy staff and diplomats and their families, the roles of the embassy staff, and security procedures at the embassy.
The trial has been scheduled for August 19th in Oslo District Court and will take two weeks.