Swedish Military and Intelligence Couple Arrested for Unauthorized Position with Secret Task
A married couple with backgrounds in the Swedish military and intelligence services has been arrested in connection with a Säpoled dawn raid. The arrest took place on Tuesday at 5:00 in the morning, and the couple is now facing criminal charges for serious unauthorized position with a secret task.
The crime is believed to have been committed from May 1 of this year until the couple’s arrest on Tuesday. Today, the detention hearings will take place at 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. in the Stockholm District Court.
Prosecutors have expressed their concern that if the suspects are released, they may try to remove evidence or complicate the investigation. As a result, they are requesting that the couple not be allowed to stay together, receive visitors, or have electronic communication. The prosecutor is also requesting that the detention hearing be held behind closed doors and that eavesdropping on the case be continued to be banned.
“This fact that they are requested to be detained can be interpreted as the prosecution’s assessment that they have grounds for suspicion. It may indicate that they have more solid material to rely on and that this is something they have been preparing for some time,” says Tony Ingesson, a researcher at Lund University.
Neither the Swedish Armed Forces nor FRA (Defense Radio Agency) have commented on the situation. Säpo has confirmed that two people have been arrested on probable cause on suspicion of a “very serious crime” relating to gross unauthorized position with secret information.
The arrested man has previously held key positions within the Armed Forces, both in Sweden and abroad, including in Russia. He is currently on leave to work at another authority. The woman, whose role and employer have not been officially confirmed, is said to work at the Defense Radio Agency (FRA), which supports the government, the Armed Forces, and Säpo with foreign intelligence.
According to Tony Ingesson, the crime classification suggests that the couple mishandled classified information. However, it has not been proven that their purpose was to pass on the information to a foreign power. As the investigation progresses and IT forensics examine seized computers and mobile phones, new information may come to light, potentially leading to a change in the classification to espionage.
Espionage and unauthorized position with a secret mission are crimes against Sweden’s security. The penalty for unauthorized occupation of the normal grade ranges from fines to imprisonment for up to two years, while serious crimes can result in a maximum sentence of four years. Espionage carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison, whereas aggravated espionage can lead to a prison term of four to eighteen years or life.
Source: Paragraphs 5-9, Chapter 9 of the Criminal Code, Swedish Constitution