KUALA LUMPUR: A 25-year-old Malaysian student in Norway has been detained by local authorities for alleged espionage, including illegal eavesdropping through various technical devices.
Norwegian police intelligence agency, known as PST has charged the man with spying on the prime minister's office, defence ministry, and other government offices in Oslo, Norway's media reported.
PST told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that the man, who was arrested on Friday (Sept 8), was charged in court on Sunday (Sept 10) with espionage and intelligence operations against the country.
The man, whose identity was not disclosed, has pleaded not guilty in initial police questioning.
Norwegian authorities have also not stated which country the man was allegedly spying for.
State prosecutor Fredrik Blom was quoted as saying: "We don't quite know what we're facing. We are in a critical, initial and vulnerable phase of the investigation.
"He (the suspect) is charged with using technical installations for illegal signal intelligence," Fredrik told NRK.
Police have seized from the man several data-carrying electronic devices, which the PST is now investigating.
According to PST, the student is not enrolled at an educational institution in Norway and has been living in Norway for a relatively short time.
Citing the arrest order, NRK said the suspect had allegedly been caught conducting illegal signal surveillance in a rental car near the Norwegian prime minister's office and the defence ministry.
According to a court decision, the man has been imprisoned in pre-trial custody for four weeks with a ban on receiving letters and visits. Security officials said the suspect was not operating alone.
In its previous assessments, PST has singled out neighbouring Russia, China and North Korea as state actors that pose a significant intelligence threat to Norway, a nation of 5.4 million.
The New Straits Times has contacted the Foreign Ministry for details on the matter.