OSLO — A Norwegian man appeared in an Oslo court on Tuesday (July 2) to face accusations of espionage on behalf of China and will be detained for an initial four weeks, a police official said, in the latest case involving alleged spying by China in Europe.

The man, who was not named, was arrested on Monday by the Norwegian Security Police Service (PST) at Oslo's Gardermoen airport upon his return from a trip to China, PST said.

"We arrested a Norwegian citizen yesterday morning for what is called serious intelligence activity, benefiting China," PST lawyer Thomas Blom told reporters after the hearing, which took place behind closed doors.

Blom declined to give details of the case, saying police were in an early phase of their investigation, but said the suspect had "attempted" to spy and that "data-carrying devices" were "particularly relevant" as evidence in the case.

The detained man says he is innocent, his lawyer said. "He rejects the allegations that he is a spy for China," Marius Dietrichson told Reuters.

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