Shock in Sweden at death of diplomat questioned for spying

Sweden’s foreign minister has spoken of grief among her colleagues after it emerged that a diplomat who was questioned this week on suspicion of spying has been found dead.

The man, described as a high-ranking diplomat, was arrested by Sweden’s Säpo intelligence service on Sunday and released on Wednesday. He had denied wrongdoing, although prosecutors said he remained under suspicion.

Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard released a statement saying her thoughts were with the diplomat’s family, friends and colleagues and said it had been a difficult day.

She said she could not go into further details about the case. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

Former foreign minister Carl Bildt described the “tragically deceased ambassador” as extremely gifted and competent, who had worked in various roles within the foreign ministry.

Swedish reports said he had spent long periods stationed outside Europe, most recently as an ambassador. Asked to confirm whether the man who died was an ambassador, his lawyer Anton Strand said he had no comment.

Images of the door to the diplomat’s flat on Swedish TV showed that it had been forced open at the time of his arrest.

The diplomat had sought medical treatment for injuries and submitted a report alleging use of excessive force at the time. Säpo said the arrest had been peaceful.

Mr Strand said in a statement to the BBC: “I have ensured his formal report about abuse during the arrest has arrived to the special investigations unit. An investigation has started regarding this.”

Unconfirmed reports from public broadcaster SVT suggest Säpo had been investigating a possible link to the sudden resignation of the new national security adviser, Tobias Thyberg, who quit hours a day after taking on the role.

Hours before he resigned, sensitive pictures of him on the dating app Grindr had been sent anonymously to the government.

Mr Strand made no comment on that but said he had received the news of his client’s death early on Friday and his thoughts were with his family.

Prosecutor Per Lindqvist told Swedish TV that the death was very regrettable and a preliminary investigation into suspected espionage was not complete.

Swedish reports said the man was in his 50s and had returned to his home in central Stockholm temporarily after a long period abroad.