Norway Arrests Chinese Man For Spying In Nordland, PST Says

Norway’s interior security service, PST, said on May 17 that a Chinese man had been arrested in the country’s north for spying, just weeks after a Chinese woman was arrested suspected of spying on satellite data.

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PST said the suspect was arrested on May 15 by the Nordland police district, and Eirik Veum, PST’s media spokesman, said the man was suspected of "attempted illegal intelligence activities in Nordland".

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On May 17, a Norwegian court ordered that the suspect be remanded in custody for four weeks, while the man’s lawyer, Tor Haug, told news agency NTB that the man denied the offence.

PST had announced on May 7 that a Chinese woman, suspected of spying on Norwegian satellite data, had been arrested, and police prosecutor Thomas Blom said the arrest was "based on suspicions that a company registered in Norway is being used as a cover".

The case was framed by PST as part of a broader espionage risk, with the service saying Norwegian intelligence services regularly single out China and Russia as the main risks to Norway when it comes to espionage.

Eirik Veum, PST’s media spokesman, told AFP that the suspect was arrested on May 15 by the Nordland police district, and PST said the man was suspected of attempted illegal intelligence activities in Nordland.

The suspect’s lawyer, Tor Haug, told news agency NTB that the man denied the offence, as the Norwegian court ordered remand in custody for four weeks on May 17.

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In the earlier case, PST announced on May 7 that a Chinese woman suspected of spying on Norwegian satellite data had been arrested, and police prosecutor Thomas Blom told AFP that the arrest was based on suspicions of a company registered in Norway being used as a cover.

Blom said the alleged cover was for "an attempt by a Chinese state actor to establish a receiving station to download data from satellites in polar orbit," linking the suspicion to satellite operations.

PST’s threat framing also emphasized that the two countries had shown interest in purchasing land near critical infrastructure or military installations, according to its latest threat assessment report.

The arrests were described as occurring in the context of PST’s broader assessment of espionage risks to Norway, with Norwegian intelligence services regularly singling out China and Russia as the main risks to Norway when it comes to espionage.

PST’s latest threat assessment report said the two countries had shown interest in purchasing land near critical infrastructure or military installations.

In the same reporting chain, PST’s earlier May 7 case involved a Chinese woman suspected of spying on Norwegian satellite data, and the suspicion centered on a receiving station to download data from satellites in polar orbit.

The Nordland arrest was handled through the Nordland police district, with Eirik Veum telling AFP that the suspect was suspected of attempted illegal intelligence activities in Nordland.

The legal process moved quickly, with a remand order on May 17 and a four-week custody period, while the suspect denied the offence through his lawyer, Tor Haug.