The courthouse in Tromsø Tuesday morning. Outside it is partly cloudy, fine weather and minus 3 degrees. Inside, the foyer is quiet and empty of people. Outside courtroom 8, two policemen keep watch. Inside the courtroom there are also civilian police. A man in his 30s and 40s stands in the witness box and explains himself. PST believes the man is a so-called “illegalist”, that is to say a person who has built up an identity as an ordinary citizen, while he quietly works for foreign intelligence. – We have asked that a Brazilian researcher at the University of Tromsø, Norway’s Arctic University, be expelled from Norway because we believe he represents a threat to fundamental national interests, says Assistant Head of PST Hedvig Moe to news. PST believes the man is actually a Russian citizen on assignment for Russia under Brazilian cover. news has asked for a comment from the man’s lawyer, but has so far not received a reply. Research in the northern region It is the first time that PST has arrested someone they believe to be an illegalist in Norway. The man came to Norway on a research assignment at the University of Tromsø in the autumn of 2021. Here, he has, among other things, researched the northern region and hybrid threats. – PST is worried that he may have acquired a network and information about Norway’s policy in the northern area. Even if this network or the information bit by bit is not a threat to the security of the kingdom, we are worried that the information could be misused by Russia, says Moe. Assistant PST manager Hedvig Moe says they have collaborated internationally to expose the man. Photo: Rodrigo Freitas / NTB PST has collaborated with other countries’ security services in this case, says Moe. – The international cooperation is important in the work with illegal artists because they are very careful, and are often good at hiding and operating for a long time in the country they operate in. “The Americans” for real According to PST, Russia has used illegal artists for a long time in his intelligence work. Nevertheless, it is very rare that such intelligence workers are exposed. – An illegalist works very long-term, and has a life history that has been built up over a long period of time. As a rule, they do not have a direct spy mission. In many cases, the assignment is rather to facilitate the more specific espionage, such as obtaining agents, networks and access to sensitive information, says Moe. The use of illegal artists was central to the American series “The Americans”, which many Norwegians have caught on to. In the series, we follow two KGB agents who live in the USA and run a travel agency and at the same time solve missions for Russian intelligence. Anna Chapman But in recent years there have been cases that have shown that this is not something that only happens in fiction or belongs to the Cold War. In 2010, the FBI rolled up a Russian network of illegals and sleeper agents. The most talked about of these was Anna Chapman, who was arrested in New York for espionage on behalf of Russia. In the USA, he ran a website for an international sale of properties. At the same time, she gained access to social circles where she could gather information which she sent on to Moscow. When she was signed, she admitted that she had operated as an agent, and was sent back to Russia as part of a large exchange between the USA and Russia in 2010. In Russia, she gained celebrity status, and has, among other things, worked as a model and presenter in Television.
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PST believes the Brazilian citizen is a Russian agent – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
