A 25-year-old Malaysian citizen has been arrested in Norway for allegedly being involved in espionage by conducting signal intelligence (SIGINT) activities there, including wiretapping.
According to a report by Astro Awani, the suspect was detained by the Norwegian Intelligence Service, which is responsible for preventing espionage activities in their country last Friday (September 8).
Upon arresting the suspect, police also confiscated various data carrier devices and electronic items.
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The suspect denied the allegations and understood that his actions were reported to have nothing to do with Malaysia.
Norwegian authorities shared that evidence shows the suspect’s rental car was recorded by surveillance cameras at the same time as signal assessments were conducted near significant locations including the Government Quarters, the Prime Minister’s office, and the Ministry of Defense.
They also believe that there may be more people involved in this case.
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Thomas Fredrik Blom, a police attorney with the Norway Police Security Service (PST), informed that they are still in the early stages of a detailed investigation to gather evidence.
The suspect has reportedly refused to give any statements to the PST and his defence lawyer, Aase Karin Sigmond shared that he is in a bad state following his detention, which was described as ‘dramatic’.
The Malaysian, who is an unregistered student at a Norwegian educational institution, has only been in their country for a short period of time.
The charges against him are based on Section 121 of the Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of up to 3 years for individuals who collect or possess secret information that could harm the country’s fundamental interests.
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