"We can unfortunately confirm that an employee at the Foreign Ministry has passed away. Out of respect for the relatives, we will not go into any further details," the Foreign Ministry writes in a comment.
There are, according to the Police, no criminal suspicions related to the death. A death investigation has been initiated, which is standard when a person is found dead.
It was on Sunday that the police raided a residence in Stockholm and arrested a man suspected of espionage.
Investigation not dropped
The man, who was supposed to have served as a diplomat at the Foreign Ministry, was arrested on reasonable suspicion of the crime, which is the lower degree of suspicion.
Two days later, the Prosecution Authority announced that he was released, but that the preliminary investigation was still ongoing.
Prosecutor Per Lindqvist now tells Aftonbladet that what happened is "deeply regrettable". The investigation is currently not dropped, according to Lindqvist, but will not continue "with the starting point of the person who unfortunately is deceased".
Instead, it may take aim at the suspicions in general, to create clarity about what has happened, he says to the newspaper.
Received hospital care
The man's lawyer Anton Strand says to TT that his thoughts go to the man's relatives.
He has previously stated that the espionage suspect received hospital care after being released, on the advice of his employer, the Foreign Ministry.
He is not feeling well. Three days in police custody, I think everyone would feel bad about. Moreover, he has sustained injuries to his body. For that reason, he has filed a complaint about abuse of authority and misconduct against the police, Strand said then.
The police have also been reported for misconduct and abuse of authority due to the fact that the suspect's door and apartment door were allegedly broken during the operation.
Following the investigation closely
Anton Strand says now that he will closely follow the complaints, which are with the Special Investigations Division, an independent part of the Police where crimes with suspected police officers are investigated.
The Special Prosecution Chamber writes in a press release that they have received a complaint in connection with a person being arrested suspected of espionage earlier in the week.
"We have received a complaint about abuse of authority and misconduct, but due to secrecy, there is no further information to provide at present," says Chief Prosecutor Anders Jakobsson.
