‘Spy and accomplice’ arrested in dawn raid in Sweden
A suspected spy and accomplice was arrested on Tuesday in an early morning raid Sweden.
Witnesses described the dramatic dawn operation involving Black Hawk helicopters that went down in a Stockholm suburb.
One of the pair was arrested on suspicion of “gross illegal intelligence activities” against Sweden and another country.
The other is suspected of aiding and abetting the espionage, while a third person was taken in for questioning.
The newspaper The evening paper said the two suspects were a married couple who had moved to Sweden from Russia.
Officials did not confirm which country they suspected was behind the spying.
Police spokesman Stefan Hector said authorities had to move quickly to preserve evidence.
“You shouldn’t be able to flush anything down the toilet or delete any data,” he told TV broadcaster SVT.
Security services spoke of a lengthy investigation that culminated in a raid involving Sweden’s armed forces.
The prosecutor has until Friday to decide on possible charges.
Few other details were provided but Swedish media said the alleged espionage could have gone on for 10 years.
Authorities said the case was unrelated charges unsealed on November 11 against two suspected Russian spies.
One of the suspects was a former employee of the Swedish Defense and Security Service.
Western countries have reported an increase in foreign intelligence activities during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Updated: November 22, 2022, 3:23 p.m