A 46-year-old Chinese man was found hiding in a World War II bunker near the Bodø Air Station, a key NATO stronghold in northern Norway, sparking heightened national security concerns. Despite Norwegian authorities ultimately withdrawing criminal charges of espionage due to lack of evidence, this week, the man was still deported for violating immigration regulations and handed a five-year entry ban.
The incident occurred on May 15th when Norwegian police and the security agency (PST) discovered the Chinese man in the old bunker near the Bodø Air Station and arrested him. The strategic location of the bunker provides a commanding view overlooking both civilian and military facilities at the Bodø Airport, as well as hosting the NATO’s Regional Joint Air Operations Center (CAOC) established in October 2025 to coordinate and monitor allied airspace in the High North region, making it a highly sensitive location.
Initially, authorities suspected the man of attempting to gather military secrets and national security intelligence, leading to his preliminary detention.
The man’s defense lawyer, Tor Haug, told the Norwegian official news agency NTB that his client vehemently denied accusations of espionage, claiming to be a mere “tourist” visiting Norway and that although he had stayed in the bunker, he had not engaged in any illegal intelligence activities.
Norwegian Security Bureau prosecutor Kathrine Tonstad later confirmed that after thorough investigations and interrogations, the reasonable suspicions and evidence of espionage significantly weakened, leading to the decision to drop the criminal charges.
While acquitted of espionage charges, Norwegian authorities did not let the matter rest. Police investigations revealed that the man’s Schengen visa from Spain had expired, and he had overstayed within the Schengen area. Moreover, it was pointed out that he had resided long-term in the bunker, which starkly contradicted the “tourism purpose” declared when applying for the visa, and provided false information during the interrogation.
In late June, his visa was officially revoked, and he was transferred to the Trandum Immigration Detention Center near Oslo. After the Norwegian Immigration Authority issued the deportation order, the man was officially expelled on Wednesday (August 5th) with a five-year entry ban imposed.
Bodø plays a critical role in Norway’s defense infrastructure and NATO’s defense layout in Northern Europe. Mayor Odd-Emil Ingebrigtsen expressed his lack of surprise over the incident in an interview with TV 2, stating, “We are facing espionage threats, particularly in a defense stronghold like Bodø.”
Ingebrigtsen further remarked, “We not only have a new NATO center now, but also numerous attractive facilities for other major nations… in our region, there are indeed too many interesting targets concerning defense, security, and critical infrastructure.”
The PST of Norway has repeatedly warned of foreign intelligence units continuously gathering information on Norway’s military capabilities and key technological data. Just days before the man’s arrest, on May 7th, the PST apprehended a 29-year-old Chinese woman suspected of illegally installing satellite interception equipment in Andøya in northern Norway. However, the security agency later clarified that there is currently no evidence indicating a direct link between these two cases.