Norwegian police are investigating reports on Friday that a drone was seen flying over the Kaarstoe gas refinery in the south-west of the country on Thursday, and a Russian-Israeli national was arrested at the border with the Russian Federation after police found two drones in his car , Reuters notes.
Norwegian military security has been deployed at Kaarstoe and other major energy export sites after authorities tightened security at Norwegian oil and gas facilities following the Sept. 26 Nord Stream leak.
On Thursday night, military personnel stationed in Kaarstow reported seeing a drone flying near the plant, police officer Ketil Lussand said.
“The police responded to find the drone and the operator. They did not find them. We have no suspects and no arrests have been made,” Lussand said.
Even before the Nord Stream incidents, the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority warned energy companies to be vigilant about unidentified drones.
A citizen of Russia and Israel, spotted at the border with two drones
In a separate incident, a Russian-Israeli national was arrested at the Norwegian-Russian border in Sturskug on Thursday after police found two drones and several data drives in his car during a routine check.
According to Norwegian police, the man had been in Norway since August 25 on a tourist visa and was returning to Russia when he was detained.
On Friday, the court ruled that he could be detained for an initial period of two weeks.
“He had a large amount of data, which we are now analyzing,” said police lawyer Anja Mikkelsen Indbør.
Police declined to say whether they suspected him of espionage
According to her, the police were checking whether drones were being used in places where it is prohibited.
Anja Mikkelsen Indbør refused to say whether the police suspected the man of espionage.
Norway is currently the largest supplier of gas in Europe after a sharp reduction in flows from Russia.
In a sign of the high level of energy security, police responded to a phone threat on Thursday at the Nyhamna gas plant, which, along with Kaarstoe and several other Norwegian facilities, is one of Norway’s biggest export facilities from Europe.
Source: Hot News RO
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