Two young men arrested on espionage charges in Nørresundby – accused of photographing defence firm
Two men aged 18 and 21 have been arrested in North Jutland, accused of photographing the defence firm My Defence and sending the images to Russian intelligence.
Constitutional hearing in Aalborg following espionage arrest in Nørresundby
Two young men were arrested on Monday in an espionage case in North Jutland, according to North Jutland Police, as reported by B.T. The case is being investigated in collaboration with the Police Intelligence Service (PET).
On Tuesday afternoon at 16:30, the two were brought before a constitutional hearing at Aalborg Court. The prosecution requested that proceedings be held in closed session, and the judge granted the request – the two men's possible testimonies have therefore not been made public.
"This is a case we take very seriously," says police inspector Sune Myrup, investigation leader at North Jutland Police, in a press release.
Accused of photographing defence firm
According to TV2 Nord, the accused are 18 and 21 years old respectively. They are accused of photographing the company My Defence on Hjørringvej in Nørresundby on Monday, together with several other suspects not yet identified. The images were subsequently sent to a user on the messaging service Telegram.
The prosecution believes the images were intended for Russian intelligence services, according to TV2 Nord. My Defence is a defence firm that develops technology for drone defence.
The two are accused of violating section 108, subsection 1 of the Criminal Code.
An interpreter was present in court, as the two men do not understand Danish. According to DR, the interpreter is Russian/Ukrainian. DR also reports that both men deny guilt.
PET warns against tasks from unknown persons on social media
PET confirms to Ritzau by email that it is assisting the police in the investigation, but has no further comments on the specific suspicion. However, the intelligence service acknowledges My Defence's alertness and cooperation with the authorities.
In the email, PET also warns against accepting tasks from unknown persons on social media to photograph or gather information about defence firms and security-sensitive targets.
"An apparently simple photo task can be used to prepare sabotage. You can thereby assist a foreign intelligence service without knowing the actual client or the purpose of the task," it states.
The service also urges people to contact the police if they are contacted about such tasks – even if they have already completed a task and subsequently become uncertain about what the information will be used for.
It is not clear from the case whether the two arrested men were hired for the task via social media. My Defence has declined to comment on the case to Ritzau.
Source: B.T.