Major concerns raised over release of Norwegian-Iranian man in Oslo following assassination plot in Denmark

In a significant police operation in Denmark during the fall of 2018, major highways, bridges, and ferry connections were shut down following concerns that a Norwegian-Iranian man was heading to the small town of Ringsted to carry out an assassination. It was later discovered that he had traveled to Iran and was arrested at a Swedish airport a few weeks later.

Danish intelligence had been monitoring him for years, and he was convicted in Denmark in 2020 for conspiracy to commit murder, with Danish judges concluding that he had planned to assassinate a prominent anti-Iranian activist residing in Ringsted, allegedly on the orders of Iranian intelligence.

Since being transferred to serve his sentence in Norway in 2021, he has now been released after serving two-thirds of his Danish sentence. His attorney remarked that his conditional release, made in consultation with the Norwegian Security Police (PST), significantly undermines any claims that he poses a threat. However, PST has not confirmed if they were involved in the decision.

Since his release, he has established a sole proprietorship focused on information technology consulting, registered to his address in Oslo. Holding citizenship in both Norway and Iran, he cannot be expelled from Norway unless his Norwegian citizenship is revoked, which could occur under new legislation regarding national interests.

Critics, including Norwegian-Iranian activist Sarah Gaulin, have called for his expulsion, citing concerns about Iran’s influence in the region. Concurrently, Norwegian politician Mahmoud Farahmand expressed surprise that he has not yet been expelled, spotlighting the ongoing heightened threat level in Norway amid security concerns tied to Iranian operatives.