Security guard at US Embassy in Oslo 'paid in Bitcoin to spy for Iran'

Information shared with Tehran and Moscow could harm Norway's national interests, says prosecution

MND8DH The Embassy of the United States of America in Oslo Norway moved to this brand new building in Huseby in the western suburbs of Oslo in 2017

A Norwegian man has been charged with intelligence activities targeting his own nation and the US for Russia or Iran.

The Oslo State Attorney's Office said he could face 21 years in prison, having disclosed information that “individually or collectively” could “harm fundamental national interests”.

The defendant was working as a security guard at the US Embassy in Oslo when he allegedly began spying for the Russian and Iranian authorities.

According to the indictment, the unnamed man shared vital information with both states. This included:

A list of couriers from the national intelligence service, classified as restricted information

Names, addresses, telephone numbers and vehicle details of embassy staff and diplomats, as well as their families

Roles of the embassy staff

Pre-booked visits to the embassy

Security procedures

Floor plans of the embassy

Pictures of garage facilities and communication equipment

The prosecutor believes the information the man shared posed an “elevated risk” to the individuals, the embassy and “American security interests”.

The US working closely with Israel during the war in Gaza motivated him to contact Russian and Iranian intelligence, according to the indictment.

Russian authorities are said to have paid him €10,000 (about $11,700) for information handed over in Norway and Serbia.

Iranian authorities allegedly paid 0.17 Bitcoin (around $20,000) for the information. According to the indictment, it was handed over in Oslo and Turkey.

The man tried to hide the money by depositing it in accounts belonging to his family and a friend, and then asked them to transfer the sums to him, the indictment alleges.

He is also accused of hiding income from the Norwegian Tax Administration. In 2023, he was listed with an income of 57,000 kroner (about $5,600).

According to the indictment, however, he had an income of more than 400,000 kroner from the US Embassy that year, which he did not report. He ran a security company with another person.

The man has pleaded not guilty. Local reports said despite this the suspect acknowledged the facts of the case but denied any criminal responsibility.

Officials said he has co-operated during the investigation and has identified a Russian agent to the authorities in Oslo.

His trial is scheduled for August 19 in Oslo District Court, with two weeks set aside for the main hearing.

Howard Phillips, 65, offered to pass on information about a former UK minister to two people he thought were Russian spies. CPS/PA Wire

Spying cases have become common across Europe. In the UK on Tuesday, a court found that 65-year-old Howard Phillips offered to pass information about former defence secretary Grant Shapps to two men he believed were Russian agents.

The men were undercover British intelligence agents. Phillips offered to turn over Shapps’ contact details as well as the location where he kept his private plane to “facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans”.

The defendant’s ex-wife told Winchester Crown Court that Phillips “would dream about being like James Bond” and watched films about the British secret services because he was “infatuated with it”.

Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counterterrorism division, said the conviction sent a clear message to anyone considering spying for Russia.

“Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain, and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country,” Ms David said.

A jury found Phillips guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act. He will be sentenced at a later date.