Swedish senior diplomat arrested on suspicion of spying, say reports

A elder Swedish diplomat has been arrested connected suspicion of espionage, arsenic the information services probe a imaginable nexus to the abrupt resignation past week of the government’s nationalist information adviser, section media person reported.

Sweden’s information work (Säpo) said connected Tuesday it had arrested a person, identified successful media reports arsenic a high-ranking diplomat who had been stationed astatine respective embassies astir the world, connected suspicion of spying.

According to the Swedish nationalist broadcaster SVT, Säpo is investigating whether determination is simply a transportation betwixt the diplomat and the circumstances of the resignation of Tobias Thyberg, a erstwhile ambassador to Ukraine. Thyberg was forced to discontinue arsenic nationalist information advisor connected Thursday conscionable hours aft being appointed erstwhile intimate photos of him from the dating tract Grindr were sent to the government.

In a statement, the authoritative said the unnamed diplomat was suspected of carrying retired espionage during the aforesaid play that Thyberg was forced out. Thyberg is not suspected of immoderate crime, SVT reported.

He was, precise briefly, the replacement for Henrik Landerholm, the erstwhile nationalist information advisor who was besides forced to resign successful January implicit mislaying classified documents.

Swedish authorities person raised concerns successful caller years astir expanding threats from some overseas powers specified arsenic Russia, China and Iran and groups engaging successful actions ranging from convulsive attacks and hybrid warfare to firm espionage.

In March, Säpo warned that overseas powers were operating successful ways that endanger security, utilizing hybrid activities to destabilise Sweden and Europe.

The justness minister, Gunnar Strömmer, told SVT connected Tuesday the authorities had been informed of Säpo’s cognition and that the idiosyncratic successful custody was suspected “on tenable grounds” of espionage. Reasonable grounds is the little of 2 grades of suspicion successful Sweden.

“The probe has to beryllium carried retired and I don’t privation to preempt it,” Strömmer said successful a connection to SVT.

Anton Strand, the lawyer appointed to support the idiosyncratic successful custody, declined to comment.

Säpo said that 1 idiosyncratic had been arrested aft an cognition successful the Stockholm country and that they were incapable to supply further accusation owed to secrecy.

Karin Lutz, a spokesperson for Säpo, said that portion she understood the questions astir imaginable links betwixt the 2 incidents, she could not comment.

“I’ve seen the quality and I recognize it raises a batch of questions but what we tin accidental is determination is 1 idiosyncratic who has been arrested,” she said.

The prosecutor’s bureau did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.