Norway detains university lecturer suspected to be Russian spy

By AP 25th October 2022, 6:57 pm

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway’s domestic security agency says it has detained a man who entered the country as a Brazilian citizen but is suspected of being a Russian spy.

A local court orders him held for four weeks.

Martin Bernsen, a spokesman for the Norwegian Police Security Service, known as PST, confirms a suspected spy had been detained and says the case is ”huge,” but doesn’t go into details.

In a statement, Arctic University of Norway administrator Jørgen Fossland says the person in question is “a guest lecturer” at the school.

Fossland refers other questions to the security service.

The man was detained yesterday in the Arctic city of Tromsø, where the university is located.

PST deputy chief Hedvig Moe says the man is “a Brazilian citizen, but we believe he, in reality, is Russian.”

The detained man’s lawyer, Thomas Hansen, tells the Norwegian newspaper VG his client denies any wrongdoing.

He was ordered held today for four weeks, VG reports.