Former Swedish Armed Forces Employee Detained on Suspicion of Espionage

A 34-year-old man who previously worked at the Swedish Armed Forces was detained on Wednesday afternoon by the Stockholm District Court, suspected of espionage.

The 34-year-old, who is registered in Eskilstuna, was arrested on Sunday afternoon and shortly thereafter taken into custody. According to the detention request, he is on probable grounds suspected of espionage. The alleged crime took place in Stockholm County and the suspected period extends from January 1 last year until his arrest.

The case is being handled by the National Public Prosecutor’s Security Unit, and at around three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, the Stockholm District Court granted Deputy Chief Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist’s request for detention.

Iranian Background

The 34-year-old now in custody was born in Sweden. His mother is Swedish, while his father came to Sweden from the city of Abadan in Iran during the 1980s.

The 34-year-old has worked for the Swedish Armed Forces. This is confirmed by Pär Pihlqvist, press secretary at the Armed Forces’ Defence Staff, in an email to Samnytt.

“We can confirm that the individual in question has been employed by the Swedish Armed Forces,” writes Pihlqvist.

The press secretary does not answer questions about when the 34-year-old worked for the Swedish Armed Forces, what roles he held, or what the terms of his employment were.

The suspected man started a business in 2024, which according to its business description “is to provide cybersecurity services” and “primarily focus on offensive cyber operations.”