COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥� Swedish authorities accused Iran on Tuesday of being responsible for thousands of text messages that were sent to people in the Scandinavian country calling for .
Officials in Stockholm claimed that Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard carried out 鈥渁 data breach" and managed to send 鈥渟ome 15,000 text messages in Swedish鈥� over the string of public burnings of the Quran.
Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said that a preliminary investigation, carried out by Sweden鈥檚 SAPO domestic security agency, showed that 鈥渋t was the Iranian state via the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, that carried out a data breach at a Swedish company that runs a major SMS service.鈥�
The Swedish company was not named. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities on the accusations from Sweden.
In August 2023, Swedish media reported that a large number of people in Sweden had received text messages in Swedish calling for revenge against people who were burning the Quran, Ljungqvist said, adding that the sender of the messages was 鈥渁 group calling itself the Anzu team.鈥�
Swedish broadcaster SVT published a photo of a text message, saying that 鈥渢hose who desecrated the Quran must have their work covered in ashes鈥� and calling Swedes 鈥渄emons.鈥�
The protests were held under the freedom of speech act, which is protected under the Swedish constitution. The rallies were approved by police. However, the incidents left Sweden torn between its commitment to free speech and its respect for religious minorities.
The clash of fundamental principles had complicated Sweden鈥檚 desire to join NATO, an expansion that gained urgency after but needed the approval of all alliance members.
Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had temporarily blocked Sweden's accession, citing reasons including anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic protests in Stockholm but Sweden finally became a NATO member in March.
At the time, the Swedish government said it 鈥渟trongly rejects the Islamophobic act committed by individuals in Sweden,鈥� adding that the desecrations did not reflect the country's stand.
In July last year, issued a statement saying that 鈥渢he insult to the Holy Quran in Sweden is a bitter, conspiratorial, dangerous event鈥� and that the desecrations have 鈥渃reated feelings of hatred and enmity" in Muslim nations toward the people burning the Quran and their governments.
In a separate statement, SAPO鈥檚 operational manager Fredrik Hallstr枚m said Tuesday the text messages ' intent was to also "paint the image of Sweden as an Islamophobic country and create division in society.鈥�
He accused 鈥渇oreign powers" of seeking to 鈥渆xploit vulnerabilities鈥� and said they were "now acting more and more aggressively, and this is a development that is likely to escalate.鈥� He did not name any specific country.
Meanwhile, Sweden' justice minister, Gunnar Str枚mmer, told Swedish news agency TT 鈥渢hat a state actor, in this case Iran, according to (SAPO's) assessment is behind an action that aims to destabilize Sweden or increase polarization in our country is of course very serious.鈥�
There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of the Quran or other religious texts. Like many Western countries, Sweden doesn鈥檛 have any blasphemy laws.
鈥淪ince the actors are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we make the assessment that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking for the persons suspected of being behind the breach, 鈥淟jungqvist said.
Ljungqvist who is with the Sweden's top prosecution authority said although the preliminary investigation has been closed, it 鈥渄oes not mean that the suspected hackers have been completely written off鈥� and that the probe could be reopened.
Sweden鈥檚 domestic security agency in May in Sweden as a proxy to target Israeli or Jewish interests in the Scandinavian country.
Jan M. Olsen, The Associated Press
