COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)– Swedish authorities implicated Iran on Tuesday of lagging countless sms message that were sent out to individuals in the Scandinavian nation asking for revenge over the burnings of Quran, Islam’s holy book in 2023.
Officials in Stockholm asserted that Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard performed “an information violation” and managed to send “some 15,000 text messages in Swedish” over the string of public burnings of the Quran.
Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said that a preliminary investigation, carried out by Sweden’s SAPO domestic security agency, showed that “it 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.”
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 “a group calling itself the Anzu team.”
Swedish broadcaster SVT published a photo of a text message, saying that “those who desecrated the Quran must have their work covered in ashes” and calling Swedes “demons.”
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.
In a separate statement, SAPO’s operational manager Fredrik Hallström said the text messages ‘ intent was to also ” repaint the photo of Sweden as an Islamophobic nation and develop department in culture.”
He implicated “international powers” of seeking to “exploit vulnerabilities” and said they were ” currently acting a growing number of boldy, and this is an advancement that is most likely to intensify.” He did not call any type of details nation.
Meanwhile, Sweden’ justice preacher, Gunnar Str ömmer, informed Swedish information company TT “that 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.”
There is no legislation in Sweden particularly restricting the burning or desecration of the Quran or various other spiritual messages. Like several Western nations, Sweden does not have any type of blasphemy regulations.
“Since 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, “Ljungqvist said.
Ljungqvist who is with the Sweden’s top prosecution authority said although the preliminary investigation has been closed, it “does not mean that the suspected hackers have been completely written off” which the probe can be resumed.
Sweden’s residential protection company in May accused Iran of using established criminal networks in Sweden as a proxy to target Israeli or Jewish passions in the Scandinavian nation.
Jan M. Olsen, The Associated Press
