The arrest of the unnamed man, who is a Norwegian citizen, was announced on Monday by the Norwegian Police Security Service, Norway’s counterintelligence agency.

A prosecutor for the agency, Line Nyvoll Nygaard, told reporters that the man was observed by counterintelligence officers as he met with the alleged Russian intelligence officer at a restaurant. Little information is known about him. He is said to be in his 50s. According to Nygaard, he is believed to have “access to information that would be of interest to foreign nations” through his work.

The case is thought to be of significance, given that Norway’s Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, was notified about it over the weekend. According to reports in the Norwegian media, the case is about industrial espionage. The man is believed to be working, or to have worked, for DNV GL, a major provider of technical advice and services for energy companies around the world. The company is also a major force in the global shipping industry as an accredited registrar, meaning that it is licensed to classify and categorize ships.

According to Nygaard, the espionage case is significant enough to pose “a major threat to the core national interests of Norway”. The government will seek the maximum prison penalty of 15 years, she said. The man is currently being detained and will soon be facing a custody trial that is expected to take place in secret.