The Norwegian National Security Service has arrested a man posing as a Brazilian academic. Norway suspects that it is a Russian spy. “The man is a threat to our basic national interests,” said Hedvig Moe, head of the Police Security Service (PST).
Norway said last week it has already arrested seven Russian nationals on suspicion of illegally flying drones or taking photos in restricted areas, mainly in Norway’s strategically sensitive north.
The security services believe that the alleged researcher was in Norway under a false name and identity, working for one of the Russian intelligence services. “The security service is concerned that he has acquired information about the policy in the north,” Moe said. “Even if this does not pose a threat to our security, we are concerned that the information could be misused by Russia.”
The Arctic University in Tromsø said in a statement that the unnamed man was “a guest lecturer” and referred further questions to the security service. The defendant’s lawyer told VG newspaper that his client denies any crime. The man arrived in September last year and was researching hybrid warfare. His lawyer is demanding his release.
In June, Dutch intelligence also revealed that a Russian spy had tried to secure an internship at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. A month later, investigators unmasked another spy by the name of Maria Adela Kuhfeldt Rivera, who is said to have spent a decade masquerading as a Peruvian jewelry designer and partying with NATO personnel in Naples.
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