Sweden Accuses the Islamic Republic of Using Criminal Groups Within the Country

The Swedish Security Service announced on Thursday, June 1, that the Islamic Republic has been using criminal groups and networks within Sweden to carry out violent actions against other countries, groups, and individuals. According to this organization, the Islamic Republic has recently targeted the interests of other countries in Sweden, particularly Israel, and has also sought to act against Iranian opposition individuals and groups living abroad. Daniel Stenling, head of counterintelligence at the Swedish Security Service, stated during a press conference that the organization 'can now confirm that criminal networks in Sweden are proxy groups that the Islamic Republic uses.' Sweden has been plagued by gang violence for years. Last year, 55 people were shot dead and 109 injured in 363 shootings across the country. The toll from this violence in other Northern European countries was six deaths. Following a suspicious shooting incident near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm last month and the discovery of an explosive device outside the embassy earlier this year, the Swedish police increased security measures around Israeli and Jewish interests within the country. The Swedish Security Service declined to comment on these specific attacks, but according to a statement obtained by Reuters from an Israeli official, the incident earlier this year was carried out by a criminal gang on behalf of the Islamic Republic. The statement read: 'The use of proxy forces and the exploitation of an increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents against Israel is the Islamic Republic's method to avoid leaving its fingerprints on the terrorism it promotes.' Daniel Stenling stated that the Swedish Security Service sees no reason to doubt the information provided by Israel but refrained from commenting on details, saying it could jeopardize investigations. The Swedish Security Service stated that it maintains the terrorism threat assessment at level four (maximum five). This warning level was issued last year following several incidents related to the burning of the Quran in Sweden, which provoked anger among Muslims in several countries and led to threats from jihadist groups. David Barnea, head of Mossad - the Israeli intelligence agency, claimed on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been involved in a series of 'terrorist attacks' by criminal networks against Israeli embassies in Europe following the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the Israeli news site 'Times of Israel,' following the discovery of an explosive device - reportedly a hand grenade - in the grounds of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm last January, Mossad began investigations along with its European counterparts. Swedish bomb disposal forces destroyed the explosive device. According to Mossad, after interrogating suspects and examining evidence from the crime scene, agents concluded that the organized criminal group 'Foxterat' in Sweden was responsible for the attack on behalf of the Islamic Republic. The report states that Israel claims Rawa Majid, known as 'the Kurdish Fox' and leader of the Foxterat group, has worked with the Islamic Republic of Iran for months. According to the report, after being pursued by international law enforcement and Iraqi security forces, he fled from Turkey to Iran in September 2023, where Islamic Republic agents recruited him. According to Mossad, after being arrested in Iran, he was hired to plan a series of attacks in Europe against Jewish and Israeli targets. Mossad: The criminal network supported by the Islamic Republic was responsible for the attacks on Israeli embassies in Europe. A conference titled 'Iran's Influence in Sweden' was held to examine the activities of the Islamic Republic. The organization 'United Against a Nuclear Iran' warned about the IRGC's exploitation of Swedish universities. Saman Taherpour, an Iranian designer residing in Sweden, was threatened by Iranian security agencies.