The man who was arrested in Tromsø on Tuesday and suspected of being a Russian spy, is employed at UiT where he is part of the research group “The Gray Zone”. The group deals with topics such as social security, preparedness and hybrid threats. Group leader for the project is security researcher Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv. She says that the man himself contacted the university. – He came to us because of his interest in larger questions about security in the north, she says to news. The man contacted Gjørv after being recommended by colleagues in Canada. He has done what she refers to as small things in the project. He has been part of discussions and helped organize seminars. The research group “The Gray Zone” focuses on preparedness, hybrid threats, and total defense, to name a few. The suspected spy man is listed as an employee of this project. Photo: Skjermdump / UiT – He had no official role in any of our projects, but he knows what the projects are about, says the security researcher. – It is almost ridiculous. I feel a little shocked. – Here is a fellow that we thought we got to know since he arrived in December last year. We have had no reason to suspect him of anything. She says that the man has gone through the usual procedures to get a place at the university. Was hacked in winter PST believes the man is actually a Russian citizen on a mission for Russia under Brazilian cover, and demands that he be deported. The man is in his 30s and 40s, and was arrested on Monday on his way to work at UiT Norway’s Arctic University. PST believes the man is a so-called “illegal”. That is, a person who has built up an identity as an ordinary citizen, while quietly working for foreign intelligence. – We have requested that a Brazilian researcher at the University of Tromsø be expelled from Norway because we believe he represents a threat to fundamental national interests, says assistant head of PST Hedvig Moe to news. Center for peace studies at UiT. Photo: Rune N. Andreassen / news The man’s defender Thomas Hansen has said the following: – In short, I can say that he opposes the imprisonment, and disagrees with the basis for it. I have received very little concrete information on the matter so far, and must get back to you. Research leader Hoogensen Gjørv has previously told news about some of the work they are doing: – It is not just military actors who are important for the security of a country. Ordinary citizens play an incredibly important role when it comes to destabilization, she told news in February. Just a week later, the university was exposed to a major computer attack, which Russia is suspected of being behind. The research examines various ways of handling possible threats, crises and warfare. Including local preparedness and community trust, national preparedness strategies, total defense and more holistic approaches in society. In the ruling from Nord-Troms and Senja District Court on Tuesday, it is stated that the man is an unpaid employee at the university, and is considered by the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Services to be a threat to fundamental national interests. “The department’s assessment is based on information that the foreigner is in Norway on assignment for the Russian authorities and that he may be a Russian citizen with incorrect Brazilian identity papers. Nothing has subsequently emerged to indicate that the ministry’s assessment is not correct. On the contrary, this is substantiated by the defendant’s behavior in court, and the court takes the ministry’s assessment as a basis,” the ruling states. Had no suspicions Director of Administration at UiT Jørgen Fossland says the university had no suspicions against the man. – We were informed about the case after the arrest had taken place. The university director cannot say exactly what the man was working on. Jørgen Fossland says it is up to PST to comment on the matter. Earlier this year, UiT was exposed to a major data attack, probably from Russia. Photo: Rune N. Andreassen / news – I don’t know anything other than that he was connected to the peace centre. – Did he have access to sensitive information in the position he held as visiting researcher? – It is an example of a question linked to the investigation that the police must answer, says Fossland. He goes on to say that the university will ensure that they “manage to look after people with us who are affected by this in various ways”.
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Suspected Russian spy worked with research on security, preparedness and hybrid warfare in Tromsø – news Troms and Finnmark
