A former guard at the United States Embassy in Oslo was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for leaking information to Russian and Iranian intelligence services. The court found that the information he handed over could have endangered the lives of American diplomats and the security of the embassy
A Norwegian who worked as a security guard at the US Embassy in Oslo was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for espionage for Russia and Iran, and the verdict was announced today.
The 28-year-old was accused of providing plans and information about activities at the US Embassy from March to November 2024 in exchange for a payment of 10.000 euros from the Russians and 0,17 bitcoins from the Iranians.
In a ruling handed down last night, the Oslo District Court ruled that the information exchanged was "of such a nature that it could be used for direct action and physical attacks on individuals".
As stated, the defendant understood that disclosure of that information could harm US security.
During the trial, the defendant admitted to the charges, claiming that he did it in protest of the United States of America's (US) stance on Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, but denied the charge of aggravated espionage for which he was convicted.
He claimed that the information he passed on was not classified as secret.
The defendant's defense announced that it has not yet decided whether to appeal the verdict, but believes that the judges interpreted illegal intelligence activity too broadly.
The former security guard "had about the same level of access as the employee who is in charge of cleaning the Embassy premises," said lawyer Inger Zadig.
"The information he shared was worthless and, neither individually nor collectively, could possibly harm individuals or the security of any country," she added.
In Oslo, Serbia and Turkey, the former security guard provided Russian and/or Iranian authorities with the names, addresses, telephone numbers and license plates of diplomats and US Embassy employees, as well as their spouses and children.
He also provided a map of the Embassy building, security procedures and a list of e-mails used by Norwegian intelligence agencies.
The prosecution sought a sentence of six years and four months for these charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison.
Norwegian intelligence services regularly point to Russia, Iran and China as the main countries engaged in espionage.
Source: Beta
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