"My client denies the crime. Otherwise, I have no comment; now the investigation can take its course," lawyer Hanna Lindblom tells reporters outside the courtroom.
She doesn't yet know whether they will appeal the detention decision, she says.
The man was arrested at 2 p.m. on Sunday. On Wednesday, he was remanded in custody by the Stockholm District Court on probable-cause suspicion of espionage.
It is then requested that NN be detained on probable cause on suspicion of espionage, during the period 2025 to 2026, said prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist during the detention hearing.
Next to Ljungqvist sat three investigators from the Security Service, who are conducting the investigation into the case.
Denies crime
The suspect, dressed in a white hoodie and beige pants, sat to the right of his defense attorney Hanna Lindblom. He looked composed and calmly answered the judge's questions. Through his lawyer, he denied the crime.
NN disputes the prosecutor's requests for detention. He disputes that there are probable grounds for espionage, Lindblom said.
The remaining parts of the detention hearing were held behind closed doors. A short while later, the court announced that the man would be detained as a suspect on probable cause.
The man has been employed by the Swedish Armed Forces. It is unclear where in the Swedish Armed Forces he worked and for what period. The Swedish Armed Forces do not want to provide further information.
Prosecutors have previously stated that the suspected crime was committed in Stockholm County and lasted from January 1, 2022, to January 4, 2026. However, the crime for which he was arrested only extends from 2025 to 2026.
Investigated for a long time
The Security Service has been working on the case for a long time. It is not known who the man is suspected of spying for.
We cannot say which country or countries, or which intelligence or security services, he is said to have received information from, prosecutor Per Lindqvist told TT on Monday.
The suspect is registered as the principal of a relatively new company that is said to be engaged in cybersecurity, with a focus on “offensive cyber operations.” However, the company has had no revenue.
According to the law, espionage is the intentional transfer, transmission or disclosure of secrets - for example, defense matters - to a foreign power. The information "the disclosure of which to a foreign power could harm Sweden's security" does not have to be true.
The penalty for ordinary espionage is a maximum of six years in prison, while aggravated espionage carries a prison sentence of between 4 and 18 years or life.
If there is no intention to help a foreign power, the crime is instead unauthorized employment with a secret mission.
Source: Criminal Code
