SHARE
COPY LINK

TERRORISM

Swedish prosecutor confirms US spy probe

Sweden's top prosecutor revealed on Tuesday that his office had previously opened a preliminary criminal investigation against US agents suspected of spying in Sweden in 2009.

Swedish prosecutor confirms US spy probe

The probe was dropped, however, because the suspected spies left the country.

Left Party MP Jens Holm and attorney Sten de Geer reported the alleged spying to the prosecutor’s office on May 25th after the case was revealed in an article by the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper.

According to the report, Swedish intelligence service Säpo discovered two Americans conducting illegal, undercover investigations on Swedish soil.

The two men, believed to be working for the CIA, were discovered when Säpo noticed them tracking people under investigation by Säpo for suspected terror links.

But on Tuesday, Sweden’s top prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand said he had no intention of responding to calls for a new investigation, as the incident had already been looked into by his office.

Preliminary investigations into illegal intelligence gathering which don’t result in a remand order or a formal indictment are usually kept secret.

However, as so many details about the case of the suspected CIA spies had already been made public, Lindstrand – who is in charge of cases dealing with terrorism and national security – thought it was appropriate to release certain details.

He confirmed that the agency had diplomatic immunity. While diplomats can be investigated for criminal conduct, they cannot be charged.

The government, however, can choose to declare that individual persona non grata and kick him or her out of the country.

But according to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, the suspected spies, who left Sweden shortly after being exposed, were not formally kicked out by the Swedish government.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TERRORISM

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

Police in Milan said on Thursday they had arrested a 37-year-old Algerian man in the subway, later discovering he was wanted for alleged ties to Islamic State.

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

When stopped by police officers for a routine check, the man became “particularly aggressive”, said police in Milan, who added the arrest took place “in recent days”.

He was “repeatedly shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while attempting to grab from his backpack an object that turned out to be a knife with a blade more than 12cm (nearly five inches) long,” they said in a statement.

The man was later found to be wanted by authorities in Algeria, suspected since 2015 of belonging to “Islamic State militias and employed in the Syrian-Iraqi theatre of war,” police said.

Police said the suspect was unknown to Italian authorities.

The man is currently in Milan’s San Vittore prison and awaiting extradition, they added.

Jihadist group IS proclaimed a “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, launching a reign of terror that continues with hit-and-run attacks and ambushes.

SHOW COMMENTS