A Swedish Foreign Service employee arrested on Sunday on “reasonable suspicion of espionage” and released two days later has been found dead.
The man in his 50s, who had spent most of his career in the Foreign Service, had recently returned to Stockholm from an overseas posting when he was arrested. According to the man’s lawyer, Anton Strand, he never returned home after his release. On Friday morning, staff were informed that he had been found dead.
“Unfortunately, we can confirm that an employee of the Foreign Service has died. Out of consideration for the relatives, we will not go into any further details,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
An employee of the Foreign Ministry told Aftonbladet, “I just talked to someone who was crying and said ‘they killed him.”
“We have opened a death investigation, but we do not suspect any crime. … it’s standard procedure when someone dies outside of a hospital,” police spokesman Daniel Wikdahl said.
Strand said his client had denied any wrongdoing and said the diplomat had filed a police report for assault and misconduct in relation to his arrest.
Reports suggest the diplomat’s arrest may be tied to the sudden resignation of national security adviser Tobias Thyberg, who stepped down on Friday, May 9th, less than a day after his appointment, following revelations of intimate photos sent via Grindr. According to state broadcaster SVT, Swedish security services Säpo are investigating a connection and believe a foreign power may be involved. Attorney Anton Strand declined to comment on any connection between the events.