A Russian citizen previously detained in Gothenburg on suspicion of industrial espionage has been released from custody, informs prosecutor in Sweden.
“Suspicion about the person arrested on Thursday has weakened and there was not enough reason for the arrest. Therefore, today I decided to release the person,” he said. the press service cites the words of prosecutor James von Reiss.
The department emphasizes that the Russian woman is still a suspect despite the lifting of the arrest.
Additional investigations are currently underway.
Upon the arrest of a person suspected of espionage, recognized 14 April. At the same time, law enforcement officials did not disclose the details of the detention, since the investigation of the criminal case has just begun. Even the nationality, gender and age of the detainees were not disclosed. “A lot of information is circulating that I don’t want to confirm or deny,” Von Reiss said.
TV4 channel reported that a citizen of the Russian Federation and several others were detained.
According to media reports, all of them have already gone through the interrogation procedure. However, according to the prosecutor, there is only one suspect in the case so far.
As von Reis stresses, industrial espionage “in no way” qualifies as a crime against national security. Otherwise, the file would be transferred to “prosecutors working with such cases”.
What is known about the Russian woman
The Russian woman worked at the Preem refinery in Gothenburg. Company spokesperson Dani Backteg confirmed the arrest.
“The person identified is not a Preem employee, but an employee of our subcontractor,” he said in an interview with Dagens Industri.
Neither the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Russian Embassy in Stockholm have yet commented on the actions of Swedish law enforcement agencies.
status of Kia brothers
In January, the Stockholm District Court delivered Prison sentence for citizens of two countries accused of spying for Russia. The case became the most serious espionage scandal in modern Swedish history.
42-year-old Peyman Kia was sentenced to life imprisonment, while his 35-year-old brother Payam Kia was sentenced to 9 years and 10 months in prison for “aggravated espionage”.
Peiman is a former intelligence officer who has worked for many years for Säpo, the Swedish security police, as well as for the Swedish armed forces and their military intelligence service Must. The court found him guilty of collecting about 90 classified documents during his tenure. His brother helped him receive and transmit information “in the interests of Russia.”
Two years before Kia’s arrest, Säpo suspected a spy was working in the organization. The brothers were exposed and captured in 2021.
“Russia is the biggest security threat to Sweden. <…> In the court decision, it was stated that acts of espionage for Russia should be considered the most serious.