Norwegian national Frude Berg, who is accused of spying on Russia, stands in a cage in Lefortovo district court in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. A Russian court has ruled to keep Frude Berg in jail pending a probe on charges of espionage he has rejected. Frude Berg has been in custody since his December's arrest in Moscow. (AP Photo/Yusuf Maydunov)

 Yusuf Maydunov

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court has ruled to keep a Norwegian man in jail pending a probe on charges of espionage.

Frode Berg has been in custody since his December arrest in Moscow. A Moscow court on Friday ordered extending his arrest through May.

The Russian Federal Security Service has accused Berg of being part of a spying operation.

Russian news reports quoted Berg's lawyer Ilya Novikov as saying that Berg has denied the charges. Novikov said the court rejected his petition to free Berg on bail. He said he would appeal the ruling.

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This version corrects the spelling of the suspect's first name to Frode.

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