Sudan expels Norway diplomat in spying row

Sudan has expelled a Norwegian diplomat from the country in a tit-for-tat row over spying allegations.

The move was a response to Norway's expulsion on Tuesday of a Sudanese diplomat working in Oslo.

He was suspected of spying on Sudanese refugees in Norway. Neither diplomat has been identified.

Most European countries shun President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court, accused of alleged war crimes.

In a statement, Sudan's foreign ministry said it had summoned the Norwegian ambassador to inform him of the expulsion.

"The foreign ministry told the Norwegian ambassador it hoped the incident would not harm bilateral ties," the statement said.

Norway's intelligence agency announced on Tuesday the arrest of a 38-year-old Sudanese immigrant they said had been secretly collecting information on Sudanese refugees and passing it on to the Sudanese diplomat.

The Sudanese ambassador denied the allegations of spying in an interview with Norway's national broadcaster NRK.