A top Swedish military officer is under arrest on suspicion of gross unauthorized position with a secret mission.
The man and his wife were both arrested in a raid early Tuesday morning.
- The investigation is in a sensitive situation, says Chamber prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist.
The military suspect was isolated in a detention cell on Wednesday.
The case of the suspected military man and his wife is shrouded in strict secrecy. Both suspects are kept in isolation in their respective detention cells and chief prosecutor Per Lindqvist has decided that they should be isolated without the possibility of watching television, listening to the radio or communicating with the outside world in the form of letters.
According to information to Expressen, the case is considered so sensitive that the Security Police's own staff handles the monitoring and all control regarding food for the two suspects.
It is unknown when the suspicions arose. The diary number for the case is recorded as 2023 which may indicate that it is relatively recent.
"Key positions"
The current criminal classification "gross unauthorized position with a secret mission" suggests that it is a crime against the security of the kingdom. For example, it could mean that you have collected secret information that you are not entitled to possess.
The man has a long career within the Armed Forces and has held several key positions both in Sweden and abroad. He is well acquainted with both the Russian and Ukrainian military systems. The man has periodically had a direct connection to the Swedish intelligence service Must.
Currently, the man maintains a government service outside the Armed Forces.
The wife at a sensitive job
The man's wife also has an extremely sensitive position at an authority, according to a source.
Both the highest defense leadership and key ministers in the government office, including Defense Minister Pål Jonsson and Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, have been informed about Säpo's action and which people are now in custody.
The security police and the relevant prosecutors at the National Security Unit have so far been very reticent with information about the case. After two press releases on Tuesday, where the arrests were told, there has been silence from the authorities involved.
The prosecutors are spy experts
The two prosecutors who are now prosecuting the case are the same prosecutors as in the espionage case against the brothers Payam and Peyman Kia who were convicted of providing the Russian military intelligence service GRU with secret information.
We do not comment on the case as you know, says chief prosecutor Per Lindqvist before he wants to "phase out the conversation" about the top military officer.
Chamber prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist confirms that the case is in a very sensitive situation.
- That's the lid on it. We do not confirm anything. The case is sensitive, he says, and does not want to confirm any details about those arrested.
Why is it so sensitive?
- I don't want to go into that. You can always point out that it is in an early stage. It is an arrest and then you must maintain the concept of innocence. That may be one answer among many.
No more suspects?
- I also don't want to say anything about it for various reasons. That's the lid on it.
When can you tell us more?
- It is hard to say. We need some peace and quiet to sort some things out. The first time is on Friday of course. That's when we have to decide whether or not to file a detention petition. Before 12 o'clock on Friday, we have no news.
Is the suspicion still only gross unauthorized occupation with a secret mission?
- That is how it is described in the ordinance. But where we now stand in the allegation of the crime, we must tell the lawyers and suspects in good order in that case first.
Large amount of fittings
Säpo's investigators have made a large amount of seizures both in the couple's apartment in Stockholm and at least one other address, Expressen learns. The investigators also seized the couple's basement storage. Mobile phones and computers seized during the raids must be reviewed by Säpo's IT experts. It is not known if there were any special findings in the seizures that strengthen the criminal suspicions.
On Thursday, the curtains were fully drawn to prevent visibility into the couple's floor. A neighbor says she thought it was a burglary when she saw the plainclothes police in the house.
- There were at least ten people and I saw how they carried things out from the floor, says the woman.
The house search has also been carried out at the couple's workplaces.
The head of the top military denied it
Expressen spoke on Wednesday evening with the man's manager, who claims to have only seen the Security Police's press release.
- We can neither confirm nor deny any information. I must refer all questions to the Security Police.
Lawyer Thomas Olsson defends one of the suspects, but is restricted in terms of comments and cannot state how his client views the criminal suspects.
- I cannot make any comments on the matter. There is a ban on yipping.
SOURCE: Translated from Swedish