Norway police arrest suspected Russian spy, says he was 'illegal agent'

[Chris]

Norway police arrest suspected Russian spy, says he was 'illegal agent'
The man, who worked as a scientist at the University of Tromsoe, had posed as a Brazilian citizen but police believe his real identity to be Russian.
By REUTERS
Published: OCTOBER 25, 2022

Norwegian police on Monday arrested a suspected Russian spy in the Arctic town of Tromsoe, the PST security service said on Tuesday, describing him as a rare illegal agent. The man, who worked as a scientist at the University of Tromsoe, had posed as a Brazilian citizen but police believe his real identity to be Russian. The news was first reported by Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

more............ https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-720548

 

[athenasius]

Well reading that article provides a few interesting aspects.

Tromso is in northern Norway 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle, on Norways Arctic north coastline. Near Finland and Russia-- it's where Russian subs pass by on their way in and out of Severomorsk-- home of the Russian Navy North Fleet that is their big submarine base.

The article suggests he is there to find people willing to work for Russia and given Tromso's location, it's not surprising!

this is what caught my eye:

"The man represents a "threat to fundamental national interests" and should be expelled from Norway, deputy PST chief Hedvig Moe told Reuters, describing him as an "illegal agent."

An illegal agent is an intelligence operative without official government links who assumes a covert persona, often using a real, dead person's identity.

"Typically illegal agents are talent scouts recruiting agents for later, and preparing the ground for other spies to do traditional intelligence work," said Moe.

Alleged spy involved in "hybrid threats" research group​

The suspect was involved in a research group that worked with Norwegian government agencies on "hybrid threats" linked to "Arctic Norway," Moe said, declining to give specifics.

NATO-member Norway borders Russia in the Arctic and has ramped up security in the wake of Moscow's February invasion of Ukraine.

The man was arrested on Monday, Moe said, declining to say whether a specific event precipitated the decision. "It was the right point to stop the activity he was involved in," she said.

The suspect had previously been in Canada, she said, and his arrest was made possible with the collaboration of "several" international security services, declining to say from which countries.

"It is a long-term project to have an illegal agent," said Moe. It costs a lot of money. Major state actors only use them and it is known Russia has used them in the past."

Hybrid threats may refer to Russia's non typical warfare methods which include destabilizing enemy infrastructure such as communications -- that may be computer attacks or cutting undersea cables or electricity -- which may be attacking power plants by computer or by bombs, or by doing something to shut down the entire grid. These are designed to paralyze it's opponent enough that Russia can gain the upper hand.