The 28-year-old Norwegian man was found guilty of providing floor plans, personal information of embassy staff and their families, and information about activities at the US embassy from March to November 2024, according to AFP news agency.
In return, he received 10,000 euros from Russian intelligence and 0.17 bitcoin from Iranian intelligence, the court ruled on Wednesday. In a ruling published on Thursday, the Oslo court said the information was “of a nature that could be used for direct action or physical attacks against the persons concerned.”
“Defendants understood that disclosing this information could harm the national security interests of the United States,” the court noted.
During his trial, the defendant acknowledged that he acted in protest of U.S. support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, but denied the charge of aggravated espionage for which he was convicted. He claimed that the information he sent was not confidential.
The defense, which has not yet decided whether to appeal, argued that the court “applied an overly broad interpretation of what constitutes illegal intelligence activities.”
Defendant lawyer Inger Zadig said her client “had almost the same level of access as an embassy janitor.”
“The information he shared was of no value and had no potential to harm any individual or national security interests, individually or collectively,” she said.
The suspect provided Russian and Iranian authorities with the names, addresses, telephone numbers and license plate numbers of diplomats and staff of embassies, their spouses and children in Norway, Serbia and Turkey, AFP reported. He also sent embassy plans, security procedures and a list of postal services used by Norwegian intelligence.
Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of six years and four months in prison for the crime, which in Norway carries a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison.
Norwegian intelligence has always maintained that Russia, Iran and China, which share borders with NATO members in the Arctic, are the main countries conducting intelligence operations in Norway.
MNA