The story of the Chinese spies connected to Andøya and Bodø is becoming increasingly bizarre. The Chinese man who was remanded in custody on Sunday is said to have been staying in a bunker at Bodø Air Station. It is the Police Security Service (PST) that has disclosed this.
“Bodø Air Station consists of both a military and a civilian section. The military section includes NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC). The investigation will seek to uncover whether the accused attempted to obtain information connected to the military section of Bodø Air Station, and if so, for what purpose,” police prosecutor Kathrine Tonstad of the Police Security Service (PST) tells NTB.
The man was arrested on Friday 15 May and is charged with attempted unlawful intelligence activity in Norway.
“The charge concerns attempted unlawful intelligence activity against state secrets, and it is related to the fact that the accused has stayed in a bunker at Bodø Air Station for some time,” says Tonstad.
Early Sunday morning, the Salten and Lofoten District Court granted PST’s request to remand the man in custody for four weeks.
“He denies criminal guilt. I cannot elaborate further on this because most of the documents in the case are classified,” the man’s defence lawyer, attorney Tor Haug, tells NTB.
PST says it sees no connection between this case and the Chinese woman who was arrested on Andøya. But it is difficult to imagine that Chinese nationals would suddenly appear in two places where sensitive activity is taking place without there being some connection.
China calls the arrest of the woman “malicious”.
The woman was found to be in possession of a device weighing as much as 22 tonnes for monitoring airspace. That is hardly something one brings on an aeroplane. Someone must have thought things through and organised it.
Much indicates that Norway has uncovered a Chinese espionage scandal. Norway is a mosquito compared to China and must tread carefully. Nevertheless, it is difficult to stop a wheel that has already been set in motion.
Tonstad says PST will carry out several further investigative steps in the near future, such as reviewing seized material and conducting interviews. The accused man has given an initial statement. The police wish to question him further. (NTB)