The 23-year-old man who planned to sell confidential NATO data from a computer and tablet belonging to a Swedish Navy officer to Russians is reportedly a former Portuguese soldier.
According to information obtained by Lisbon weekly Sabado, cited by Do Rzeczy, the man was detained by Ukrainian authorities in 2023 on suspicion of espionage. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of a weapon. He was ultimately deported to Portugal, from where he regularly traveled to Luxembourg.
His attempt to sell confidential NATO info to Russia ultimately failed, and he was caught red-handed. According to investigators, the Portuguese obtained the data during an international conference held at the Naval Academy in Lisbon, which focused on robotic experiments with unmanned systems. The accused allegedly broke into a hotel housing NATO officers, stole the Swedish Naval officer’s equipment, and copied the data onto a portable drive.
The 23-year-old was allegedly assisted in the theft by two other individuals, who are also under investigation. However, the investigation, which is ongoing, is focused on uncovering third parties believed to have commissioned the theft.
The Lisbon Prosecutor General’s Office announced that the Portuguese national has been charged with attempted espionage, aggravated theft, using someone else’s identity document, and making false statements. He is also being charged with possession of child pornography and falsely attributing espionage to individuals unrelated to the activity.
