Two Iranian brothers are set to face trial over allegations one acted as a mole in the Swedish security police and military intelligence.
The brothers, who were born in Iran but came to Sweden as children in 1994, are accused of spying activity from March of 2011 until their arrest in September and November of last year, but it is not immediately clear if they were passing information to Iranian intelligence or any other party.
The older brother of the pair is said to have worked as an investigator and spent time in the Security Police (SAPO) as well as working for military intelligence and the Office for Special Acquisition (KSI), one of Sweden’s most secretive intelligence agencies, the newspaper Expressen reports.
According to the newspaper, the man was sought after by many intelligence agencies due to his command of the Persian language on top of his existing skills as an investigator.
The younger brother, meanwhile, worked for SAPO for a brief period, but it is unclear whether or not the brothers were working at the security police during the same period.
Not much is known regarding the details of the investigation as prosecutors Per Lindqvist and Mats Ljungqvist have commented very little on the substance of the allegations.
Both prosecutors and the lawyers for the brothers have been called to a Stockholm court, confirming that the pair will face trial over the spying allegations. A member of the Swedish armed forces, code-named FM 019, was also present at the hearing and is said to have been linked to the older brother’s activity.
Both of the brothers have denied the allegations against them. Both brothers are currently in isolated custody where they are not allowed to follow any news broadcasts or read newspapers.
Formal charges against the pair are expected in the coming months; the trial will not be open to the public.