On Monday, a Norwegian citizen in his 30s was arrested in Gardermoen after a trip to China. He is charged with attempted gross intelligence activities against state secrets for the benefit of China. The man pleads not guilty and says he has not been an agent for China. Over the years, the accused spy has built up contacts among people with an interest in foreign policy. Among other things, he planned to organize a geopolitical conference. According to what news is informed, the man’s finances are a central part of the investigation. Took the bill for the contacts news has spoken to a number of people in the network of the man accused of being a spy. In the conversations, one meeting place with the man comes up again, a finer Chinese restaurant in the center of Oslo. The man has brought contacts from various networks here for dinner and drinks. The guests news has spoken to say that they did not have to pay for the food themselves and that the accused spy picked up the bill. One of the guests he brought says he met the man at the restaurant as recently as May this year. The man accused of being a spy had said that they should go to the best restaurant in Oslo. The guest did not pay for the food himself, nor did he see that any payment was made at the table. Visited the restaurant regularly The man is said to have been a regular guest at the Chinese restaurant in recent years, according to news’s information. This despite the fact that the man has had no taxable income in Norway from 2016 to 2022, according to the tax lists. news does not know whether the man is listed as having taxable income or assets in 2023 or this year, and does not have access to income he may have earned abroad. The spy accused’s lawyer, Marius Oscar Dietrichson, says on behalf of his client that they do not want to comment on the case. news has been in contact with the Chinese restaurant. They do not wish to comment on the matter. Was part of the Ap network The man has a wide network of contacts. He has been active in a team in the Oslo Labor Party, and last year he was with the party team on a study trip to Germany. On Thursday, news told that the accused spy sat together with Foreign Minister Espen Berth Eide as deputy on the board of the local party team. Oslo Ap informed news that the foreign minister and the man accused of spying have not attended board meetings together in the relevant local team. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not want to comment on the matter and referred to PST. Researcher Anders Romarheim told news that the man accused of spying does not need to have access to sensitive information to be interesting for intelligence, and that China wants to recruit widely and long-term. – He is probably interesting to them because he is involved in foreign policy and security policy circles and is young and committed. It is common for intelligence to sow many seeds and hope that people grow into important positions with sensitive information in the long term, Romarheim told news. Published 05.07.2024, at 21.52
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Those charged with espionage took the bill for contacts at a Chinese restaurant in Oslo – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
