FOTO: THOMAS NILSEN, THE BARENTS OBSERVER to VG

A Russian court has extended the detention of a Norwegian man suspected of spying after he allegedly received classified documents from a Russian man who is also under arrest.

The Lefortovo District Court in Moscow on February 2 ordered that Frode Berg should remain in jail until May 5.

Berg, 62, was allegedly caught receiving classified material about the Russian Navy that he is accused of planning to hand over to Norwegian and U.S. intelligence agencies.

He has denied the charges.

“We still do not know if Berg fell into a trap, or if, without knowing it, actually became involved in a real intelligence operation,” Ilya Novikov, Berg’s lawyer in Moscow, was quoted by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten as saying.

Norwegian media have reported that Berg is a former border inspector and that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry has been working to provide him with assistance.

Some reports have suggested his arrest could be linked to what they said was his opposition to the construction of a fence along a small part of Norway’s short border with Russia.

Norway built the 200-meter fence in 2016 after thousands of asylum seekers, many of them from Syria, crossed from Russia into Norway at the border post.

The reports come eight days after a Moscow court convicted an Estonian businessman of espionage and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

Russia has imprisoned several people from neighboring countries including Estonia, Lithuania, and Ukraine on espionage charges, with tension rising over Moscow’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and involvement in a war against Kyiv’s forces in eastern Ukraine.

Kremlin critics say Russia uses spy claims as a tool in geopolitcal competition.

Russian courts usually hold espionage trials behind closed doors, citing what they say is the need to protect classified information and state secrets.

(With reporting by RFERL, Dagens Naeringsliv, AP, and TASS)

Religious extremism is considered to be the biggest terrorist threat, but illegal foreign intelligence activities by countries like Russia and China are also regarded as an increasing threat to Norway.

Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) today presented this year’s threat assessment for Norway. Religious extremism possess a lesser threat than before, but is still considered the biggest threat to Norway.

In addition, especially Russia’s intelligence activities has a great harm potential for Norway, according to PST. Other countries, like China, were also mentioned as potential players which can be involved in undesirable and harmful activities against Norwegian interests.

PST suggests that foreign intelligence tries to get information about Norwegian interests by recruiting sources and hacking or through network operations.

In particular, companies in the Norwegian defence and emergency sector, state administration, research and development and critical infrastructure companies are considered to be highly vulnerable, according to the assessment.

PST believes it is “possible” that religious extremists carry out terror attack in Norway in the coming year, but the terrorist level has nevertheless downgraded.

(Nadarajah Sethurupan)

Cyber-espionage: Norway’s intelligence chief accuses China of stealing military secrets

Norwegian national Frode Berg, who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges, has never worked for other countries’ intelligence services but for his own country’s and has never dealt with recruiting agents, his lawyer Ilya Novikov told TASS on Friday.

“Berg is suspected of spying for intelligence services of his native country, Norway. He has never worked for CIA. According to investigators, all he was doing was using Russian Post services to send mails supposedly containing spy guides and money for a Russian citizen. In this case, he was not supposed to meet with the addressee or even know who he was. Recruiting activities are out of the question,” the lawyer said.

Earlier, a number of media outlets said Berg had worked for CIA.

According to Novikov, Berg pleads not guilty, saying he was unaware his activities could constitute part of a spying operation. Investigators, in his words, claim Berg was a one-way messenger from Norway to Russia.

According to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Berg, 62, arrived in Moscow on December 4 to visit his relatives and friends. Earlier, he worked at a checkpoint on the Norwegian-Russian border. He was inspector of the Border Commissariat subordinated to the Norwegian Justice Ministry and responsible for the abidance by the bilateral treaty on the Russian-Norwegian border and the procedure of the settlement of border conflicts and incidents. Berg, who lives in the Norwegian town of Kirkenes, nine kilometers from the Russian border, retired in 2014.

(tass)

The health records of almost three million people in Norway have been compromised in an attack described as “advanced” and “professional” by authorities in the country.

The attackers breached the systems of Norway’s Health South East RHF, spilling the records of people in the counties of Østfold, Akershus,  Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Vestfold, Telemark, Aust-Agder, Vest-Agder – and the capital Oslo.

The breach was announced on Monday by the authority, after it had been notified by HelseCERT, the Norwegian healthcare sector’s national information security centre, that there had been abnormal activity against computer systems in the region.

HelseCert said that data theft had taken place and that the hackers were “advanced” and “professional”.

“We are in a phase where we try to get an overview. It’s far too early to say how big the attack is. We are working to acquire knowledge of all aspects,” Kjetil Nilsen, director of NorCERT, the National Security Authority (NSM), which is also helping with the investigation, told Norwegian publication VG.

“Everything indicates that it is an advanced player who has the tools and ability to perform such an attack. It can be advanced criminals. There is a wide range of possibilities,” he added.

Meanwhile the CEO of Health South East RHF, Cathrine M. Lofthus said that the situation was “very serious” and that measures had been taken to limit the damage caused by the hack.

She said that the potential data theft has not had any impact on patient care or patient safety, as yet, and added that staff within the health sector and government were working to resolve the situation.

The police have been notified, but as yet there are more questions than answers.

Nilsen said that the data could have been hacked to use for cyber espionage, or perhaps it is likely to be used by someone who provides services based on healthcare information.

However, as the health records would also include people who work in government, secret services, military and intelligence staff, politicians and other public individuals, there are some that believe the data could be used for other purposes.

Nyvoll Nygaard, an adviser with the Norwegian Police Security Service, said that it’s possible that someone working for a foreign state intended to collect information that may harm fundamental national interests relating to the area’s infrastructure.

(v3)