Woman Photographed Swedish Security Service HQ Before Job Interview - Convicted

SOLNA, SWEDEN - She had made it to the final stage of recruitment at the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen). Proud of getting that far, the 58-year-old snapped a photo of the agency's headquarters to remember the day. Instead of a job, she got a police interrogation, a seized phone, a criminal conviction and a bill of 15,100 kronor - even though the security guard who stopped her said she clearly meant no harm.

On February 18 this year, the woman took the metro to Västra skogen in Solna, just north of Stockholm, on her way to the Swedish Security Service's head office for what was meant to be the last step in the hiring process. She had been there once before but had been given a lift. This time she walked from the station and took a few pictures along the way so she would remember the route if she got the job.

As she approached the building, she took one more photo - of the headquarters itself.

"I'm So Proud"

In the police interview, she explained why. "Because it was far away. The distance is longer. I judged that you could take pictures from there. And to have it as a memory of being here, because I'm so proud, so I wanted a picture," she said. "The pictures were only for myself, private use and nothing else."

At the main entrance, a security guard who had seen her stopped her and asked if she had photographed the building. She said yes and showed him the picture on her phone. He seized the phone and called the police.

Even the Guard Saw No Intent

The guard's own account is in the preliminary investigation. He describes a woman who said she was booked for a security interview and immediately admitted taking the photo. "The woman didn't seem to have done it with intent. She mostly seemed unaware of the Protection Act," he said.

That did not stop the case going to police. A yellow sign on the building warns of a photography ban, and the guard felt he had no choice. A patrol arrived and the woman was questioned in the back of a police car.

The interview transcript shows officers repeatedly pressing her. She said she knew there were security rules and assumed photos right next to the building were not allowed, but did not realise the ban also covered shots from a distance. "If you assumed there was a ban, why did you photograph the Security Service's building?" the officer asked. "You're contradicting yourself a bit." Her answer: "The distance. If I had known all this, I wouldn't have done it. It's extremely unfortunate. Of course it was never my intention to break any law."

Phone Held for Eight Days

Police kept her phone as evidence for eight days. She had to travel from Nykvarn, more than 50 kilometres south of Stockholm, to collect it in Solna. Officers then went through her three photos: one showed the headquarters at a distance, with the entrance and two yellow signs whose text could not be read. The other two showed nearby buildings. All three were deleted. Nothing suggests they were ever shared.

The very next day, she was charged with unlawful depiction of a protected site under Sweden's Protection Act.

Court: She Did It on Purpose

Solna District Court ruled on October 16. It found that because she understood photography was banned close to the building, she should have realised the ban might apply further away too. The court went beyond negligence and found so-called indifference intent. "She did nothing to make sure it was okay to take photos where she did, but went ahead anyway," the judgment says.

She was fined 30 day-fines of 470 kronor, a total of 14,100 kronor, plus 1,000 kronor to the national crime victims' fund. The photo cost her 15,100 kronor - and a criminal record.

The investigation notes she had lost income after being laid off and was hoping the job at the Swedish Security Service would turn things around. "I was hoping to get a job at the Security Service," she told police. The court papers do not say what happened to her application. The verdict can be appealed to the Svea Court of Appeal until November 6.