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On Friday, Stockholm condemned “false information,” in response to accusations leveled by that Iranian Chargé d’Affairs of “recruiting criminal gangs” to commit acts of violence against Israel and its interests. On Thursday, the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” quoted documents from the Israeli Mossad that Rawa Majeed, head of the “Foxtrot” network, which it said was one of the main gangs in Sweden, and his main opponent, Ismail Abdo, who heads the “Rumba” gang, were working for Iran.
The Scandinavian country is seeking to contain the escalation of gang violence in recent years, as shootings and bombings have become a weekly occurrence across the country.
Hours after the report was published, Swedish intelligence said during a press conference that “the Iranian regime uses criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other countries, groups, or individuals in Sweden that it considers a threat.”
It referred in particular to “Israeli and Jewish interests, objectives and operations in Sweden.”
در پی انتشار اتهامات بی اساس و مغرضانه از سوی یک مقام سوئدی علیه جمهوری اسلامی #ایران، کاردار موقت سفارت #سوئد در تهران، عصر روز شنبه توسط دستیار اداره کل غرب اروپا به وزارت امور خارجه احضار شد.
— ???????? وزارت امور خارجه (@IRIMFA) June 1, 2024
در این احضار، مراتب اعتراض جمهوری اسلامی ایران نسبت به اظهارات مبتنی بر اطلاعات… pic.twitter.com/TJBHVkmH6z
The Iranian accusation came two weeks after shots were fired near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, and three months after an “activated explosive device” was found in its vicinity.
The Israeli ambassador spoke at the time of an “attempt attempt.” by the Swedish Intelligence Security Services to meddle in the Middle Eastern drama, something they haven’t had a chance.
“Tension arena”
On Friday, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom summoned the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires.
Billstrom told Agence France-Presse in a message on Thursday that “Sweden will not be a platform where government agencies use criminal networks to advance their interests.”
The head of the intelligence services, Daniel Stenling, explained during a press conference that Sweden considers it to have become an “area of tension” between Israel and Iran, in light of the escalation of tension between the two countries since the start of the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip last October.
“False allegations”
The Iranian embassy said on Friday, “Unfortunately, some Swedish media outlets reported false and baseless allegations about media outlets and institutions affiliated with this brutal regime (Israel), and published false and fabricated statements against Iran.”
She added that she “expects the Swedish media not to trust the allegations and reports published by the Israeli regime,” and will work to “put an end to the crimes of the Zionist regime in Palestine.”
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, on Sunday, that it had summoned the temporary Swedish Chargé d’Affairs in Tehran to inform him of the protest against “malicious and baseless” accusations leveled by Stockholm against Iran, according to which Tehran is “using criminal gangs” to attack Israel and its interests in Sweden.
On Friday, the Iranian embassy in Stockholm condemned “false information,” in response to accusations leveled by Swedish intelligence against Tehran of “recruiting criminal gangs” to commit acts of violence against Israel and its interests.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, on Sunday, that it had summoned the Swedish Chargé d’Affairs in Tehran to inform him of the protest against “malicious and baseless” accusations leveled by Sweden against Iran, according to which Sweden is “using criminal gangs” to attack Israeli and its interests in Sweden. “Following a Swedish official and baseless accusations against Iran, the charge d’affaires of the Swedish embassy in Tehran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Ministry’s Assistant Director General for Western European Affairs.”
On Thursday, the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” quoted documents from the Israeli Mossad that Rawa Majeed, head of the “Foxtrot” network, which it said was one of the main gangs in Sweden, and his main opponent, Ismail Abdo, who heads the “Rumba” gang, were working for Iran.
The Scandinavian country is seeking to contain the escalation of gang violence in recent years, as shootings and bombings have become a weekly occurrence across the country.
Hours after the report was published, Swedish intelligence said during a press conference that “the Iranian regime uses criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other countries, groups, or individuals in Sweden that it considers a threat.”
It referred in particular to “Israeli and Jewish interests, objectives and operations in Sweden.”
The Swedish accusation came two weeks after shots were fired near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, and three months after an “activated explosive device” was found in its vicinity.
The Israeli ambassador spoke at the time of an “attempt attempt.”
Relations between Sweden and Iran have deteriorated since a Swedish court in July 2022 issued a life imprisonment sentence against former Iranian prison official Hamid Nouri, 62, for crimes committed during a purge campaign targeting opponents in 1988.
As Nouri’s trial began, Iran arrested Swedish EU diplomat Johan Fluderus in April 2022, and accused him of spying for Israel, which is punishable by death.
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