Is selling unclassified information about the U.S. embassy in Oslo a crime?
Espionage
State Department
On July 22 Norway charged a 27-year-old contract security guard at the U.S. embassy in Oslo with espionage for selling information about the embassy and its staff with Russia and Iran. The guard, Mohamed Orahhou, did not have a security clearance. His lawyer argues the information wasn’t secret so selling it wasn’t a crime under Norwegian law.
The information Orahhou was accused of selling includes:
- a list of couriers from Norway’s intelligence service
- names, home addresses, telephone numbers and vehicle information about diplomats at the embassy and their spouses and children.
- the job functions of embassy employees
- evacuation plans
- pictures of embassy garage facilities and communications equipment
In exchange Russia gave him €10,000 Euro and Iran gave him Bitcoin worth nearly $10,000 USD.
His lawyer argues the information isn’t secret under Norwegian law and selling it didn’t harm Norway’s national interests.