PETALING JAYA: A 25-year old Malaysian has been arrested for allegedly spying on the office of the Norwegian prime minister, and the country’s defence ministry as well as other government offices.
According to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), the man had attempted to tap into their electronic communications before being arrested on Friday night, NewsInEnglish reported.
He will be held in custody for at least four weeks while the investigation continues and will be kept in isolation for the first two weeks.
Norwegian prosecutor Thomas Fredrik Blom told NRK isolation was necessary as there was a “real and high” danger of evidence tampering.
Norway’s police intelligence agency PST said the man was photographed repeatedly in his rental car outside government offices he was believed to have targeted.
He was subsequently charged with “signaletterretning”.
According to NewsInEnglish, a portal based in Oslo, “signaletterretning” is a Norwegian term used for tapping into electronic signals, including mobile phone conversations and text messages.