Numerous drone alarms in Norway – Security Police hold a press conference

Several drones have been spotted in recent weeks at various locations in Norway. The common denominator between them is that they occurred near protected objects or other sensitive or defensive infrastructure. The security police are now in charge of investigations.

We believe it is important that investigations are coordinated and collected with us in close cooperation with police districts, says David Moe, Assistant Director of PST.

Just half an hour after the first reports came in early Wednesday morning Drone activity at Flesland Airport in Bergen Police also received a report of a possible drone sighting in the area around Hackungsvern Military Station.

Recently, on Sunday, the Norwegian aviation authority Avinor closed the airspace over Stavanger and Haugesund airports after drone alerts.

“State of the New Security Policy”

During Thursday, police were also alerted that a suspicious drone was seen at a gas station in Tesfer municipality in southwest Norway.

– It’s a new security policy setting. We’ve gone through our nuclear readiness from the ground up, says Norwegian Prime Minister Geir Store, NRK, TT reports.

Four Russian citizens, three men and a woman, are in custody after photographing protected objects. About three men and a woman were stopped at a check in Mosjøen recently on October 11, TT reports.

Police said they were carrying filming equipment and took a large number of photos. The four themselves say they are tourists.

In recent months, we have seen a clear increase in drone activity around, among other things, oil and gas stations and critical infrastructure. So the attorney general decided that the PST should be generally responsible for investigations into drone activities, says Hedvid Moe, who emphasized that it was illegal for Russian citizens to fly drones in Norway.

Another Russian citizen arrested

A 47-year-old man with dual Russian and British citizenship was arrested Monday in Hammerfest, Norway, on suspicion of violating the penal code for flying a drone over Norwegian territory in Svalbard, police prosecutor Anja Mikkelsen Indebur said. to the Barents Observer. The Barents Observer also claims that the man is the son of a Russian businessman who is said to be a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

– Svalbard and northern Norway have become more important to Russia over time. But what is most important now is that tensions are rising. Among other things, because of the situation on the Russian border, says David Mo.

In two previous cases, Russian nationals were arrested in Norway on suspicion of using drones to photograph, among other things, the environments of military airports and helicopters.