On Tuesday, Swedish prosecutors accused Iran’s intelligence service of hacking a Swedish SMS operator in 2023 to send mass messages calling for revenge against individuals involved in burning the Quran. According to Sweden’s Prosecution Authority, around 15,000 text messages were distributed during the summer of 2023, following a series of protests where the Quran was desecrated.
“The aim was to create division in Swedish society,” the authority stated. The messages, urging retaliation against the Quran burners, were seen as an attempt to stir societal unrest.
Sweden’s intelligence service Sapo determined that the hacker group responsible for the attack had acted on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, with the intent to influence public perception. “The aim was, among other things, to paint the picture of Sweden as an Islamophobic country,” said Fredrik Hallstrom, chief of operations at Sapo.
Hackers Linked to Iranian Revolutionary Guard
On August 1, 2023, Swedish media reported that a large number of people received text messages inciting revenge. An investigation revealed that a group called Anzu Team, linked to Iran’s intelligence service, was behind the cyberattack. However, Swedish authorities have closed the case, citing difficulties in prosecuting the suspects. “Since the actors are acting on behalf of a foreign power, in this case, Iran, our assessment is that the conditions necessary to bring charges abroad or secure an extradition to Sweden are missing,” explained senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist.
Escalating Diplomatic Tensions
Sweden’s relations with several Middle Eastern nations deteriorated in 2023 following a series of Quran-burning protests. In response, Sweden’s intelligence service raised the national threat level to four out of five, signifying that the country had become a “prioritised target” for hostile activities.
Protests in Iraq escalated tensions further, with Iraqi demonstrators storming the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023, setting fire to the compound on one occasion. The Swedish government condemned the Quran desecrations but stood by its constitutional protections for free speech and assembly.
Sweden-Iran Relations and Prisoner Swap
Tensions between Sweden and Iran have been particularly fraught, exacerbated by Sweden’s 2019 arrest and 2022 conviction of Iranian former prison official Hamid Noury. Noury was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in mass executions in Iranian jails in 1988.
In June 2024, Sweden and Iran agreed to a prisoner swap, in which Noury was released in exchange for two Swedish nationals, including EU diplomat Johan Floderus, who had been held in Iran since 2022 on espionage charges. Floderus, along with another Swedish national, Saeed Azizi, was part of the exchange after months of diplomatic negotiations.
