The man in his 30s has stated himself that he is a Brazilian citizen, who came to Norway to work unpaid for UiT Norway’s Arctic University. He had no family here, and lived in a rented house in Tromsø. The man was arrested on his way to work. 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. The university was informed after the arrest took place. Here, outside the Center for Peace Studies at UiT Norway’s Arctic University, the man was arrested. Photo: Rune N. Andreassen Studied in Canada The man must have taken a bachelor’s degree in political science with a focus on international relations at the Center for Military, Security and Strategic Studies in Canada. The man was mentioned in a post on the university’s Facebook pages in connection with them completing various university degrees. He also claims to have a master’s degree from the same country. news has contacted the library at the University of Calgary in search of the master’s thesis. They haven’t found it. “It seems that he attended course-based master program which does not require written thesis.”, they write in an e-mail to news. The man had a profile on Linkedin, which has now been removed. There was no information about what he has done or where he went to school before he started university in Canada. In the autumn of 2021, he came on a research mission to Tromsø. According to Aftenposten, the man received a research grant linked to UiT Norway’s Arctic University. In 2020, the university was exposed to a hacker attack. Hackers attacked the email of Nordic researchers at the University of Tromsø in 2020. Based on information, news learns that Russia was behind it. One of those who was hacked was the woman who was to become the man’s mentor. Interested in the northern areas, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, professor of security studies and project manager for “The Gray Zone”, says he came to them following recommendations from colleagues in Canada. – He got a lot of praise when I checked references. He expressed an interest in the security policy situation in the north, says Gjørv. The mentor feels deceived and abused, and says she is shocked by the arrest. – 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, says Gjørv to news on Tuesday afternoon. She describes him as a quiet and slightly shy man, who did not share much information about himself. – We will engage in international cooperation, that is important. Perhaps more important than ever, and perhaps we have to think about the fact that it is now clear that the research environment is more vulnerable, says Marcela Douglas. She is head of the Center for Peace Studies. Photo: UiT Head of the Center for Peace Studies, Marcela Douglas, says the man talked about how happy he was in northern Norway and in the snow. – He talked about how he liked it much more than heat. He was very adaptable, always had a great sense of humor. And then he was very curious. He came to us here in the north because he was interested in researching the Arctic around the Barents, she says. When the news came that he had been arrested, she and her colleagues were left with many questions. – We are now sitting and digesting everything. There is someone who has been with us for almost a year, who has been our colleague, participated in social events, we have had lunch together. Opposes imprisonment According to the district court’s decision, the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness sent a notice about the man on 20 October, in which they wrote that he was a “threat to fundamental national interests”. The man in his 30s was detained for four weeks on Tuesday, awaiting deportation. PST believes the man is actually a Russian citizen on assignment for Russia. The man’s lawyer, Thomas Hansen, says his client does not understand the charge. – In short, I can say that he opposes imprisonment, and disagrees with the basis for it. I have received very little concrete information on the matter so far. On Tuesday evening, the man is not in Tromsø. To Nordlys, the man’s defender says that he was sent south to Trandum camp.
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This is what we know about the suspected spy – news Troms and Finnmark
