Sweden’s security service, Sapo, has accused Iranian intelligence of hacking into a text messaging service to send 15,000 messages to Swedish citizens.
Sapo reported that the data breach occurred in the summer of last year and involved SMS messages calling for “revenge against Quran-burners” following incidents where anti-Islam activists burned copies of the Islamic holy book.
A preliminary investigation led by prosecutors revealed that a cyber group named Anzu, acting on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), aimed to create societal division and portray Sweden as an Islamophobic country.
While the Swedish government condemned the Quran burnings and police attempted to prohibit them, the courts allowed the actions under freedom of expression laws.
These incidents sparked outrage in several Muslim-majority countries, leading to protests, including one that resulted in the burning of Sweden’s embassy in Iraq.
Last month, Swedish prosecutors charged an Iraqi activist and an accomplice with incitement against an ethnic group related to the book burnings. Both men deny any wrongdoing.
The Anzu group reportedly hacked into a Swedish company’s SMS service, obtaining passwords, usernames, and other tools at the end of July 2023.
On August 1, they sent a message to private individuals stating that “those who insulted the Quran must be punished for their actions.”
Fredrik Hallstrom of Sapo told Dagens Nyheter that several individuals involved in the operation were linked to the Revolutionary Guards, and the text messages partially succeeded in escalating the threat against Sweden.
Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist noted that investigators had identified the Iranian hackers but indicated there was no possibility of extraditing them, resulting in the shelving of the preliminary inquiry.
The security service cautioned that foreign powers like Iran are exploiting opportunities to create division and strengthen their regimes.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer stated that it is very serious for a state actor like Iran to be attempting to “destabilize Sweden or increase polarization in our country.”
This is not the first instance in which Sweden’s security service has accused the Iranian government of conducting hostile activities on its territory.
In May, Sapo reported that Tehran had utilized criminal networks within Sweden to carry out violent acts against other states, groups, or individuals that Iran deemed a threat.
The agency identified Iran, along with Russia and China, as posing the greatest security threats to Sweden.