Swedish spy agency arrests linked to reporter held in Turkey: media
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The
(Sapo) confirmed to AFP that two people had recently been arrested for "aggravated unauthorised handling of secret information".
They have since been released but Sapo said they were still suspects and declined to disclose any details of the case.
Public broadcaster Sveriges Radio reported late on Wednesday that one of the suspects was connected to the case of Swedish journalist
, who is currently in custody in Turkey awaiting trial on a charge of belonging to a terrorist group.
Ankara accuses Medin of being a member of the
(PKK), an allegation he has denied.
Medin, who works for Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC, was detained at Istanbul airport on March 27 when he flew in to cover mass protests gripping Turkey.
A
last month handed the 40-year-old an 11-month suspended sentence on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to Sveriges Radio, one of the suspects in Sapo's case is a Swedish citizen who is a leading representative for Kurds in Northern Syria.
The broadcaster noted that it was not known if the arrest had been made as a result of a request from Turkey or not.
In order to persuade Turkey to drop its veto when Sweden applied to join NATO, the countries made a deal that included increased collaboration on "terrorism".
The other suspect in the case was a diplomat employed at Sweden's foreign ministry, according to the broadcaster.
At the weekend, Sapo arrested another diplomat suspected of spying.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The diplomat was also released but remains a suspect, although the intelligence agency told AFP that was related to a separate investigation.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Turkey, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard confirmed there were two investigations ongoing relating to government employees.
"These are serious accusations but I can't say more than that," Stenergard said.
Stenergard said she had spoken to her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Wednesday about Medin's case.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
34 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Who else is receiving Kennedy Center Honors as Tom Cruise turns down Trump's invite
Tom Cruise will not be among the recipients of this year's Kennedy Center Honors, after declining President Donald Trump's invitation, per The Washington Post. Tom Cruise will not receive a Kennedy Center Honor this year after declining the invitation. (AFP) On Wednesday, Trump announced the 2025 honorees for the prestigious Washington, D.C. event, which 'recognizes and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world,' according to the Kennedy Center. ALSO READ| Tom Cruise turns down invite to receive lifetime achievement award from Donald Trump: Report Who will receive Kennedy Center Honors? The five names on the list span music, film, and theater: country legend George Strait, rock icons KISS, Broadway star Michael Crawford, disco queen Gloria Gaynor, and Hollywood veteran Sylvester Stallone. Cruise, known for his action-packed roles in the Mission Impossible and Top Gun franchises was reportedly offered the award this year but turned it down. The Washington Post, citing current and former Kennedy Center employees, reported that the actor's packed schedule was to blame. Indeed a busy year for Cruise In November, the Top Gun star is set to receive an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, alongside production designer Wynn Thomas and choreographer-actress Debbie Allen, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences back in June. Meanwhile, Trump himself hinted that he could take center stage at the Honors in the future. 'I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honor,'' the president quipped. 'Next year, we'll honor Trump, okay?' Trump also revealed he will be stepping in as the emcee for this year's ceremony, a role previously held by television legend Walter Cronkite from 1981 to 2002, and later by Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, from 2003 to 2012. ALSO READ| Trump admin arresting more migrants with no criminal records amid crackdown Initially, the president said the Kennedy Center's board had chosen 'a truly exceptional class of honorees.' But pressed by reporters, he admitted,'I would say I was about 98 percent involved ... they all went through me,' Trump said. 'I turned down plenty who were too woke.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
34 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump-Putin summit: How the US Secret Service is preparing for high-stakes meeting
US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will descend on Alaska for a much-awaited meeting on August 15. The summit, which was announced just last week, is being hosted at the American military's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. With such short notice, how did the Secret Service prepare for the safety of both the leaders? Masks of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are displayed for sale in Saint Petersburg on August 7, 2025. AFP United States President Donald Trump is set to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a territory that Russia sold to America in 1867 for $7.2 million. The high-stakes summit on a military base on the outskirts of the city of Anchorage will be keenly watched across the world. The two leaders are expected to discuss a possible ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, without the presence of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The talks, which Trump has described as a 'feel-out' meeting, have thrown a big security challenge as they came at short notice. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, how is the American Secret Service preparing for the Alaska summit? We will explain. Picking the venue for Trump-Putin summit Putin will cross the Bering Sea, the narrow strait of water separating the US from Russia, to enter American soil on Friday (August 15) for the high-level meeting with Trump in Alaska. The two leaders will hold talks at the US military's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. However, this venue was not the first choice of the Secret Service for the much-anticipated summit. As per a Bloomberg report, the US agency, as well as the Russian consulate in New York, were seeking short-term rentals that could host Trump and Putin. Beau Disbrow, a realtor in Anchorage, told the news agency, 'Most of my short-term rentals were booked, but I did manage to put some of them into one home.' It was finally decided to hold the summit, which Trump announced just a week ago, at Alaska's largest military installation. 'We're in the height of tourist season, so hotels are tight, cars are tight,' Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy told Bloomberg Television on Thursday (August 14). 'Having this on the base alleviates a lot of issues.' Earlier this week, the White House attempted to downplay the expectations for a peace deal, describing the meeting between Trump and Putin as a 'listening exercise'. How Secret Service is preparing for Trump-Putin summit The US Secret Service had to be ready for Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska, also known as the Last Frontier, on short notice. Speaking to NPR, Bill Gage, a former Secret Service special agent, said that the agency did not have to worry about 'country clearances and visas and weapons permits' as it is a domestic trip for the American president. However, the agents still need to be ready for any adverse event. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'You know, Alaska is far away from the continental United States. They still have to plan for all sorts of eventualities - natural disasters, earthquake, volcanic eruptions, and the list goes on,' he added. Alaska, a vast wilderness, is sparsely populated. Anchorage, where the summit will be held at 11:30 am local time (1 am IST), has limited hotel rooms and a small rental-car market. After Trump announced the summit with Putin last week, the only agent deployed at the Secret Service's post in Alaska started preparing for hundreds of reinforcements in the coming days, according to the Bloomberg report. The US agency has a mighty task at hand: to protect both Trump and Putin. With just a week for planning, the Secret Service had a lot on its plate. However, its job was made a bit easier as the meeting is on American soil. It can easily move weapons, communications equipment and medical gear without foreign constraints, four people familiar with the planning told the news agency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The military base, the venue for the high-stakes meeting, boasts controlled airspace, fortified gates and quick access to military units. Motorcade SUVs and other assets are arriving in Anchorage from other parts of the state. Hundreds of agents have reached the city. The US State Department protocol is being adhered to to draw up the plan. Reciprocity rules dictate that every courtesy extended to one leader has to be followed for the other, officials said in a bilateral meeting. 'While Russian security will control Putin's immediate movements while the Secret Service maintains an outer ring,' reported Bloomberg. Strict rules will be in place as Trump and Putin fly to Alaska. Neither side will be allowed to open the doors or ride in the other's vehicle. 'If 10 US agents are posted outside a meeting room, 10 Russian agents will stand on the other side. Everything is matched body for body, gun for gun', one person said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD From the arrival motorcade to the presence of translators in the room, the reciprocity will be maintained in all moves. Each side will have its own language teams. The US and Russia are also reportedly discussing the number and size of hold rooms, secure waiting areas for each leader. The Secret Service is awaiting a green-light from Russia to formally approve the full security plan, the people told Bloomberg. 'The safety of the President is our highest priority. In order to maintain operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss the specific means and methods used to conduct our protective operations,' the Secret Service said in a statement. Downtown hotels are packed and rental car lots have been cleared for convoys. Agents in suits and earpieces are stationed at intersections, while others in plain clothes are at coffee shops and parking garages. 'Alaska state troopers and local police are folded into motorcade routes that have been mapped down to the turn lane,' as per Bloomberg. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The movement of the vehicles of Putin and Trump is being choreographed, so they are apart and fully protected. With inputs from agencies
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
South Korea's Lee Jae Myung pledges respect for North's system, calls for military trust
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung marked Liberation Day by pledging to respect North Korea's system and build 'military trust,' in a sharp policy shift from his predecessor. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (C) and his wife Kim Hye-kyung (center-R) wave national flags during the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in Seoul on August 15, 2025. AFP South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged, on Friday, to 'respect' North Korea's democratic system and establish 'military trust,' one day after Pyongyang declared it had no intention of fostering better ties with Seoul. In contrast to his hardline predecessor, Lee has vowed since his victory in June to engage in unconditional conversation with the nuclear-armed North. Lee stated that the South Korean government 'will take consistent measures to substantially reduce tensions and restore trust' with the North during a speech commemorating the country's independence from Japanese domination. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We affirm our respect for the North's current system,' said Lee, adding Seoul had 'no intention of engaging in hostile acts'. 'I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,' he said. 'North and South are not enemies.' Lee's speech comes a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has 'no will to improve relations' with the South. She also denied reports that North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers. Liberation holiday The South's military said in June that the two countries had halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, adding last week that it had detected North Korean troops dismantling loudspeakers on the frontier. Friday's August 15 anniversary of liberation from Japan is the only public holiday celebrated in both North and South Korea, according to Seoul's National Institute for Unification Education. In Pyongyang, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un also made a speech at a liberation day celebration, urging the nation to overcome 'the challenges facing the DPRK for the great powerful country', using the North's official acronym. However, in an unusual move for a Liberation Day address, he made no mention of South Korea or its 'enemies.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The speech was before a Russian delegation to Pyongyang, including the speaker of the Duma, who read a congratulatory letter sent to Kim by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim's speech was a 'stark contrast' to his sister's recent 'fiery statements,' Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul told AFP. 'There were no messages aimed at South Korea or the United States, no references to enemies or hostile states, and no provocative mentions of nuclear forces,' said Yang. 'The intention would be to closely observe the moves of neighbouring countries in the near term, including President Lee Jae Myung's Liberation Day address,' he added.
