Surveillance Detection Unit

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The Surveillance Detection Unit is an organization in the United States that is alleged to be involved in illegal secret service activities in Norway and other European countries. The television broadcaster TV2 reported for the first time on November 4, 2010 about the existence of the network, which is said to have started work in 2000.

Norway

Members

Members of the organization are said to be several senior Norwegian ex-police officers and military personnel. It is said to consist of 15 to 20 people and to have carried out surveillance operations. The service is said to be headed by the 71-year-old ex-anti-terrorism chief of the police, Olaf Johan Johansen. In addition, a 63-year-old former head of the Oslo police department, as well as several high-ranking ex-officers of the criminal investigation department, the military and the civil readiness department are said to have been members.

activity

The aim is to prevent terrorist attacks on US facilities in Norway. Several hundred people who were in the vicinity of US facilities were recorded, photographed and filmed in detail. The data was then made available to the US embassy via a database ( Security Incident Management Analysis System , SIMAS).

Germany

At the beginning of November 2010 , the federal government declared that it had no knowledge of the organization's activities. At the end of November, however, she confirmed the existence of a unit that is responsible for protecting the property of the US embassies. Ole Schröder , State Secretary for the Interior, shows understanding about the threat situation.

Switzerland

In mid- January 2011 , the Swiss authorities announced that they were investigating whether the US was running an illegal surveillance detection program in Geneva. The Federal Council had explicitly forbidden the Americans to do this in 2007, after the US embassy in Bern and the US mission in Geneva had officially asked Switzerland in 2006 and 2007 for approval for observation detection programs.

Reactions

Justice Minister Knut Storberget announced an investigation into the events and stated that the Norwegian government has no knowledge of the existence or the activities of the organization.

Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre asked the US to provide comprehensive information on the surveillance activities and stressed that the US embassy had not given him sufficient information. It is serious business.

The State Department stated that the operation had been agreed with the Norwegian authorities. The US embassy spokesman confirmed the existence of similar services in several states for a long time and justified them with attacks on US embassies.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e media: USA monitor Norwegians in their homeland. In: ORF . November 4, 2010, accessed November 12, 2010 .
  2. ↑ a b c d According to the expert, "probably". In: ORF . November 5, 2010, accessed November 12, 2010 .
  3. ↑ a b Hannes Gamillscheg: USA have Norwegians monitored. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . November 4, 2010, accessed November 12, 2010 .
  4. ↑ Secret organization oversees the US embassy. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. December 3, 2010, accessed December 3, 2010 .
  5. ↑ Heidi Gmür: USA under suspicion of espionage. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . January 16, 2011, accessed January 16, 2011 .