Foreign national arrested in Norway accused of espionage
A man has been arrested in Norway accused of espionage, Norway's intelligence services said Sunday, as media reported he was a foreigner eavesdropping on government offices including the prime minister's.
Intelligence service PST refused to disclose the man's identity, age or nationality.
He was arrested on Friday and is accused of "intelligence activity, more specifically signals intelligence by use of electronic devices," PST spokesman
Trond Hugubakken told AFP.
Norwegian broadcaster NRK said the man was a 25-year-old foreigner, and that his rental car had been caught on security cameras at the same time as signals were picked up at the government headquarters, the prime minister's office and the defence ministry.
Hugubakken said PST had seized "data units and technical equipment" when the man was arrested.
The spokesman said PST was reluctant to disclose details of the case because "one hypothesis we have is that he was not operating alone."
The man rejected the charges when he appeared Sunday before a judge, who ordered him held in preventive custody for four weeks with no visits or communications, with the first fortnight to be spent in isolation, Hugubakken said.
NRK also reports that the man is a student, but not at a Norwegian teaching institution, and has been in the country for a relatively short time.
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Intelligence service PST refused to disclose the man's identity, age or nationality.
He was arrested on Friday and is accused of "intelligence activity, more specifically signals intelligence by use of electronic devices," PST spokesman
Trond Hugubakken told AFP.
Norwegian broadcaster NRK said the man was a 25-year-old foreigner, and that his rental car had been caught on security cameras at the same time as signals were picked up at the government headquarters, the prime minister's office and the defence ministry.
Hugubakken said PST had seized "data units and technical equipment" when the man was arrested.
The spokesman said PST was reluctant to disclose details of the case because "one hypothesis we have is that he was not operating alone."
The man rejected the charges when he appeared Sunday before a judge, who ordered him held in preventive custody for four weeks with no visits or communications, with the first fortnight to be spent in isolation, Hugubakken said.
NRK also reports that the man is a student, but not at a Norwegian teaching institution, and has been in the country for a relatively short time.
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