Swedish prosecutors deny that spy arrests are linked to journalist held in Turkey
Swedish prosecutors have denied the intelligence service's arrests of a Kurdish representative and a Swedish diplomat are linked to a journalist facing 'terror' charges in Turkey.
Advertisement
Public broadcaster Sveriges Radio had alleged late on Wednesday that one of the suspects was connected to the case of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who is currently in custody in Turkey awaiting trial on a charge of belonging to a "terrorist" group.
The Swedish Security Service (Säpo) confirmed to AFP that two people had recently been arrested for "aggravated unauthorised handling of secret information".
They had since been released but were still suspects, Säpo said. It declined to disclose any details of the case.
Sveriges Radio said one of the suspects in Säpo's case was a Swedish citizen who was a leading representative for Kurds in Northern Syria. The other was a diplomat at the foreign ministry.
The broadcaster said it was unclear whether the arrests had been made as a result of a request from Turkey or not.
But on Thursday, the Swedish Prosecution Authority published a statement refuting the media reports.
"This is an individual case that has no links to other ongoing investigations or legal proceedings, in Sweden or in other countries," public prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said, noting the investigation was in an early stage.
Advertisement
Turkey has accused Medin, who works for Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC, of being a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an allegation he has denied.
Medin was detained at Istanbul airport on March 27th when he flew in to cover mass protests gripping Turkey.
A Turkish court last month handed the 40-year-old an 11-month suspended sentence on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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".
At the weekend, Säpo arrested a second diplomat on suspicions of spying.
That 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
Local Sweden
19 hours ago
- Local Sweden
What's in the appointment letter for Swedish citizenship?
Citizenship applicants across Sweden have over the last few days started to receive letters inviting them to book an appointment for an in-person ID check at the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). The first letters were received this week. Here's what they include. Advertisement One of The Local's readers received a letter earlier this week which appears to have been sent on May 26th. The reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared a copy of their letter with The Local. The reader applied for Swedish citizenship in September 2023. Just under a year later, in August 2024, the reader applied for a request to conclude which was first rejected. They appealed the rejected request which was overturned by the Migration Court in October 2024. Their spouse has held Swedish citizenship for over three years. READ ALSO: The extra security questions Sweden's Migration Agency wants citizenship applicants to answer This seems to suggest that the Migration Agency is still processing cases where the applicant has submitted a request to conclude, despite announcing plans to prioritise older cases where applicants have been waiting for longer. Advertisement What's in the letter? The letter includes information on how to book an appointment through the Min Sida page on the Migration Agency, as well as details of which documents the applicant should bring to the appointment. An important detail revealed in the letter is that applicants have eight weeks from the date the letter is sent (not the date it is received) to book an appointment or contact the Migration Agency, otherwise they risk their application being denied. We have translated the letter below. If you have received a letter, make sure to follow the instructions in your own letter rather than this translation if there are any differences. You may notice that we have removed details of how to book an appointment. Booking appears to be open to anyone with an account at the Migration Agency ‒ even those without a pending citizenship application ‒ and we do not want to encourage applicants to book an appointment before they have received their letter and thereby take appointment times from those who need them. Here is a section of the letter in Swedish with personal details removed. Below is the text of the letter in English: Request to book an appointment You have applied for Swedish citizenship. You need to visit a Migration Agency service centre in person for an identity check. You need to book the appointment in advance via the Migration Agency's website and it needs to be carried out at one of the Migration Agency's service centres. Another person cannot carry the appointment out for you, even if they have a power of attorney in your case. Advertisement Be aware that an appointment for an in-person ID check at the Migration Agency can only occur after you book an appointment. You must bring your home country passport to your appointment. If you don't have a passport from your home country, you can bring a form of Swedish ID. If the Migration Agency already has your identity document then you should not request for the agency to send it back before your visit. If you do not have a home country passport or a form of Swedish ID, you should still book an appointment to verify your identity in person with the Migration Agency. More information on appointments is available at Book an appointment You need to book an appointment to visit the Migration Agency in person as soon as possible. Book your appointment on via the Migration Agency's e-service "My Page". You must attend an in-person identity check at a Migration Agency service centre within eight weeks from the date on this letter. If you cannot attend an appointment within eight weeks then you must contact us. If you do not carry out a check or contact us, we will still make a decision in your case. That could mean that you do not become a Swedish citizen.
Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Local Sweden
Ex-Northvolt CEO suspected of negligence in worker's death
The ex-CEO of Swedish battery maker Northvolt, which went bankrupt in March, will be questioned over suspicions a failure to follow safety protocols caused a factory worker's death. Advertisement Peter Carlsson, former chief executive of the once buzz-generating startup, is being investigated along with others over an explosion at the company's factory in Skellefteå in northern Sweden in November 2023. A 25-year-old employee suffered severe burns and died after fighting for his life for several weeks. "He will be questioned by the police today, Friday or next week," Prosecutor Christer Jarlås told AFP, adding an appointment had been made with the suspect's lawyer. Jarlås said Carlsson would formally be informed that he is suspected of a "work environment offence" and "causing the death of another" in connection with the interrogation. The prosecutor said he intends to make Carlsson a formal suspect on the basis of his personal responsibility as CEO for making sure safety protocols were adhered to. "This is an offence where a person in a position of responsibility within the company failed to take all the measures required by workplace safety legislation," Jarlås said. "And this led to the death of an employee. If all the legal measures had been taken, it is very likely that the victim would have survived," he added. Advertisement The failure stemmed from an inadequate analysis of the risks associated with the workplace, according to the prosecutor. The factory, Northvolt Ett, was not classified as an area with a risk of explosion or fire, but only as one where there was a risk of exposure to chemicals. The 25-year-old man "was wearing protective clothing suitable for this type of risk, but not clothing designed to protect against fire or explosions", Jarlås said. "The clothes he was wearing also caught fire, which contributed to his injuries and subsequent death in hospital." Founded in 2016, Northvolt had been seen as a cornerstone of European attempts to catch up with Asia and the United States in the production of battery cells, the crucial component of electric vehicles. Northvolt had struggled under a mountain of debt, slow demand and production delays, when it applied for bankruptcy in Sweden on March 12. The court-appointed trustee managing the bankruptcy had intended to maintain production at Northvolt as they searched for a buyer, but announced earlier this month it would halt production at the end of June – as it only had one customer, truck maker Scania.
Local Sweden
3 days ago
- Local Sweden
Sweden charges jihadist over Jordanian pilot burned to death in Syria
Prosecutors have charged a Swedish jihadist over the 2014 killing of a Jordanian pilot, who was burned to death in a cage in Syria after being captured by the Islamic State (IS or Isis) group. Advertisement Osama Krayem, 32, was charged with "participating in the brutal execution of a pilot" near the city of Raqqa, prosecutor Reena Devgun told a press conference. Krayem, who is already serving a 30-year sentence for involvement in the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, was charged with "serious war crimes and terrorist crimes". According to prosecutors, who had announced they intended to charge Krayem last week, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria on December 24th, 2014. The pilot was captured by Isis fighters the same day near the central city of Raqqa, and killed sometime before February 3rd, 2015. The execution was filmed and a 22-minute video accompanied by a specially composed religious chant was published. In the video, the victim is seen walking past several masked Isis fighters, including Krayem, according to prosecutors. The pilot is then locked in a cage that is set on fire, leading to his death, Henrik Olin, the other prosecutor in charge of the case, told reporters. "This bestial murder, in which a prisoner was burned alive in a cage, was staged in a carefully produced video that was broadcast around the world. Its publication marked an unprecedented escalation in the Islamic State group's violent propaganda," Olin said. Prosecutors have been unable to determine the exact day of the murder, but the investigation has identified the location where it took place. Advertisement 'Obligation' to prosecute The defendant's lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP that her client admitted to being present at the scene but disputed the prosecution's version. "He denies the acts for which he is prosecuted," she said. "He acknowledges having been present at that place during the event but claims not to have acted in the manner described by the prosecutors in the account of the facts." Krayem, who is from Malmö in southern Sweden, joined the Isis group in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for helping plan the November 2015 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed. Advertisement The following year, he was given a life sentence in Belgium for participating in the bombings on March 22nd, 2016, at Brussels' main airport and on the metro system, which killed 32 people. "Even though this is a person that's already sentenced and is serving very long prison sentences in other countries, we will still charge him and we have an international obligation to do so," Devgun told AFP. Krayem has been "temporarily handed over to Sweden to participate in the trial", which is scheduled to begin on June 4th, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority. "It is painful for my parents to be confronted with this event again, but we are grateful that the Swedish authorities want to give us justice," Jawdat al-Kasasbeh, the pilot's brother, told broadcaster Sveriges Radio.
