Säpo probes suspected Syrian spies in Sweden
Swedish security service Säpo has launched at least one intelligence probe into suspicions that Syrian intelligence agents are spying on Syrian nationals in Sweden.
"We have several ongoing cases involving Syria which we are actively following up. They are not only preliminary investigations, but also involve intelligence work," Säpo counter espionage analyst Wilhelm Unge told the TT news agency.
One of the investigations underway in Sweden involves political prosecution originating in Syria, but Unge refused to say how many people are targeted in the probe.
Several politically active Syrians in Sweden have offered anonymous accounts of how they and their relatives have been threatened in their homeland, and in some cases killed, TT reported.
As the civil war in Syria continues to rage, more or less anyone who flees the country has right to asylum in Sweden, making Syrians the largest group of asylum seekers in Sweden.
During October alone, 1,254 Syrians applied for asylum in Sweden.
According to Unge, the continued flow of Syrian war refugees puts additional pressure on the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket), making it harder for the agency to properly vet all the applications.
"And the larger the flow, the greater the risk that the wrong assessment is made which allows someone to slip through," he told TT.
TT/The Local/dl
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"We have several ongoing cases involving Syria which we are actively following up. They are not only preliminary investigations, but also involve intelligence work," Säpo counter espionage analyst Wilhelm Unge told the TT news agency.
One of the investigations underway in Sweden involves political prosecution originating in Syria, but Unge refused to say how many people are targeted in the probe.
Several politically active Syrians in Sweden have offered anonymous accounts of how they and their relatives have been threatened in their homeland, and in some cases killed, TT reported.
As the civil war in Syria continues to rage, more or less anyone who flees the country has right to asylum in Sweden, making Syrians the largest group of asylum seekers in Sweden.
During October alone, 1,254 Syrians applied for asylum in Sweden.
According to Unge, the continued flow of Syrian war refugees puts additional pressure on the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket), making it harder for the agency to properly vet all the applications.
"And the larger the flow, the greater the risk that the wrong assessment is made which allows someone to slip through," he told TT.
TT/The Local/dl
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