The detention hearing at Södertörn District Court was held under great secrecy. The lawyer and the district court only found out who it concerned just before the hearing began. Falk was not present. However, it did not take long before he could be arrested in Spain.
The secrecy was important for a coordinated action prior to an arrest in Spain.
It had to be a short time between the detention hearing and the arrest, which is why I contacted the Spanish authorities before the detention hearing, says prosecutor Anna Stråth to TT.
Arrest Warrant
After the district court detained him in his absence, I issued a European arrest warrant to Spain. In it, I requested that Spain arrest him and hand him over to Sweden for prosecution. When I did that, they arrested him, says Anna Stråth.
Now, the Spanish authorities will consider whether they can grant the prosecutor's request.
The main rule is that if a country sends an arrest warrant to another country, the other country executes the arrest warrant. But there may be circumstances where they cannot do so. That's for Spain to consider now, she says.
Gross Arson and Extortion
Jonas Falk is suspected of gross arson and attempted gross extortion in an extortion case involving Joachim Kuylenstierna, according to the detention application.
According to prosecutor Anna Stråth, there was a risk that Falk would "evade punishment" and "hinder the investigation" as well as "continue his criminal activities", writes Expressen.
The district court decided that Falk should be detained in the extortion part and that he is suspected of aiding and abetting gross arson.
Jonas Falk was identified as the mastermind in "Playa", one of Sweden's largest drug busts, but was acquitted ten years ago.