A Norwegian man who worked as a security guard for the U.S. Secret Service in Oslo has been convicted of espionage on behalf of Russia and Iran to three years and seven months in prison, according to a court ruling published today.

The 28-year-old was accused of providing, from March to November 202,4, plans and information about the activities to the US embassy in exchange for a payment of 10,000 euros from the Russians and 0.17 bitcoin from the Iranians.

In the decision made last night and made public today, the Oslo court ruled that the information provided was “of such a nature that it could be used for direct actions and physical attacks against the persons concerned.”

“The defendant understood that disclosure of this information could harm U.S. security interests,” according to the court.

During the trial, the defendant admitted these facts, stating that he acted to protest against the US position in the war in Gaza but dismissed the charge of aggravated espionage, of which he was found guilty. He argued that the information he carried was not classified.

His defence said it had not yet decided whether to appeal but appreciated that the judges applied “a very broad interpretation” of what constitutes illegal intelligence activity.

The former guard “had about the same level of access as an embassy caretaker,” said lawyer Inger Zadig. “The information he shared was of no value and could not, individually or collectively, harm persons or the security interests of any state,” she said.

In Oslo, Serbia, or Turkey, the former guard had given Russian and/or Iranian authorities the names, addresses, phone numbers, and vehicle registration numbers of diplomats and embassy employees, as well as their spouses and children. It also provided, among other things, plans of the embassy buildings, information on security procedure,s and e-mails used by the Norwegian spy services.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six years and four months on those charges, which carry a penalty of up to 21 years in prison.