A Norwegian academic colleagues believed to be from Brazil has been accused of being a deep cover Russian spy.
The man, who called himself Jose Assis Giammaria, had allegedly been working as a researcher at the University of Tromsø prior to his arrest, where he specialised in Arctic security.
But after being arrested on suspicion of entering Norway under false pretences on Friday he was named by security services as Mikhail Mikushin.
Investigators clarified that they are ‘not positively sure of his identity, but we are quite certain that he is not Brazilian’.
Further evidence from investigative outlet Bellingcat accused Mikushin of being a senior Russian military intelligence officer who had spent years crafting a secret undercover identity.