Swedish National Arrested in Iran over Suspected Espionage

Iranian officials have arrested a Swedish national, suspecting him of spying for the European authorities.

On Saturday, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said in a statement that Iranian security forces "identified and arrested a citizen of the Kingdom of Sweden on espionage charges." The man was under Iran’s radar for some time.

The ministry did not divulge any information regarding the name or age of the detained Swedish person, nor did it provide any information as to when or where the arrest was made. The suspect was under surveillance owing to his movement, communications, and trips to different Iranian cities, which had been conducted entirely outside of tourist destinations. He was reportedly using professional communication and security practices and secrecy, and was in contact with a number of suspected European and non-European elements in Iran in all their previous trips.

The statement added that the suspected spy visited Iran following the arrest of “another European spy” with the objective of acquiring information about the identity of the detained European person and how he was arrested.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry has not provided any comments on the subject.

Relations between Iran and Sweden have been strained after the latter detained and put on trial ex-Iranian official Hamid Nouri. Nouri was arrested in 2019 on arrival to the Stockholm Airport.

The Swedish court sentenced Nouri to life imprisonment for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity based on allegations leveled against him by the MKO terrorists. The accusers alleged that Nouri was involved in the torture and execution of MKO members in 1988. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani has opposed the judgment, calling the allegations “baseless and fabricated.”