PUTRAJAYA: Wisma Putra will extend the appropriate consular services to an individual, believed to be a Malaysian, who was reportedly arrested in Norway on suspicion of espionage.
Confirming the arrest, it said the Malaysian Embassy in Stockholm was also in contact with authorities in Oslo to obtain information on the case.
“The ministry will monitor the development of the case and will extend the appropriate consular services, if needed,” it said in a statement yesterday.
Earlier, The Associated Press reported that a 25-year-old foreign student had been arrested in Norway on suspicion of espionage, including illegal eavesdropping through various technical devices.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, meanwhile, reported that the man is of Malaysian origin but there is no suspicion that Malaysia is involved.
Norway’s domestic security agency, known by its acronym PST, told Norwegian media that the man, who was arrested last Friday, was charged in court on Sunday with espionage and intelligence operations against the Nordic country.
The man, whose identity hasn’t been disclosed, pleaded not guilty in initial police questioning.
Norwegian authorities have also not said which country the man was allegedly spying for.
“We don’t quite know what we’re facing. We are in a critical, initial and vulnerable phase of the investigation,” PST lawyer Thomas Blom was quoted as saying by NRK.
“He (the suspect) is charged with using technical installations for illegal signal intelligence.”
Police seized from the man several data-carrying electronic devices, which the PST is now investigating. The suspect is a student, but he is not enrolled at an educational institution in Norway and has been living in Norway for a relatively short time, according to PST.
Citing the arrest order, NRK said the suspect had allegedly been caught conducting illegal signal surveillance in a rental car near the Norwegian prime minister’s office and the defence ministry.
According to a court decision, the man has been imprisoned in pre-trial custody for four weeks with a ban on receiving letters and visits. Security officials said the suspect wasn’t operating alone.
In its previous assessments, PST singled out neighbouring Russia, China and North Korea as state actors that pose a significant intelligence threat to Norway.
