Swedish diplomat's arrest deepens political turmoil amid scandal
A high-ranking Swedish diplomat has been detained by the country's special services on charges of collaborating with a foreign intelligence agency. This development has further unsettled the Swedish political class.
What you need to know
- A high-ranking Swedish diplomat was detained by the SAPO special services on charges of espionage.
- A search was conducted at the diplomat’s residence in Stockholm.
- This incident is another blow to the Swedish political scene; on Friday, the prime minister's national security advisor resigned under scandalous circumstances.
Swedish public media reported that the country's special services, SAPO, detained a diplomat suspected of collaborating with a foreign intelligence agency. The details of the case remain limited due to the investigation's confidentiality; however, it is known that the official held a high position in the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Swedish Radio and SVT television, a search was conducted at his apartment in Stockholm.
Sweden's Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, confirmed that the government was informed of the SAPO operation. "We are dealing with a suspected serious crime," he emphasized.
Another blow to the Swedish political class
The detention of the diplomat is another blow to the Swedish political scene, which has been grappling with various security-related issues.
On Friday, Sweden's national security advisor to the prime minister, Tobias Thyberg, resigned just hours after his appointment when media revealed the existence of his intimate photos on a dating app for the LGBT community, something of which the government office was unaware. His predecessor, Henrik Landerholm, left his position in January amidst scandal. Media reports claimed he left classified documents in a conference centre locker and on other occasions lost a notebook and a mobile phone.
