Norway

Uproar over alleged surveillance

for the US

Both politicians and commentators have reacted strongly after TV2 on Wednesday revealed that a group of former police officers have allegedly kept Norwegian citizens under surveillance on behalf of the US Embassy.(Photo: Justice Minister Knut Storberget)

According to TV2, the US has since the spring of 2000 built up the intelligence group Surveillance Detection Unit (SDU), with the aim to carry out systematic surveillance of Norwegian citizens.

The unit was located in a building close to the US Embassy in Oslo and the aim has reportedly been to prevent terorist attacks against US targets in Norway.

The report has sent shockwaves into the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).

Socialist Left Party's Hallgeir Langeland calls it a scandal, and says the US Ambassador must be called to the Department of Foreign Affairs for an explanation. Langeland says that if the Norwegian Secret Police (PST) has known about this and failed to inform the Government, it is a very serious case for PST.

The Progress Party's Anders Anundsen, leader of the Parliamentary Cotrol Committee, demands that Justice Minister Knut Storberget reports to Parliament about what has been going on.

- Surveillance of Norwegian citizens on behalf of US authorities is in breach of Norwegian legal protection, says the Bjørn Erik Thon of the Data Protection Registrar's Office.

Storberget has asked the PST to report to him about the surveillance.

In the TV2 report a spokesman for the US Department of Foreign Affairs said the surveillance was cleared with the Norwegian authorities, while the Norwegian Department of Foreign Affairs denied knowledge of this.

Source: NRK/Norway Post