Around 15,000 Swedes woke up last summer to an SMS where they were urged to avenge the Koran burners:
"Those who insulted the Koran must pay for their work. We offer you to send revenge pictures of these demons."
Behind the messages was an Iranian cyber group that had hacked into a Swedish SMS service and acted on behalf of the regime in Tehran, according to prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist.
We can see that the operation was carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
"Raised the tone"
The attack started on July 21 when the hackers broke into the company and began preparing the attack. They took over the administrative tool and gained access to 15,000 phone numbers. The mass dispatch was made on the morning of August 1.
Sweden was then, in the summer of 2023, in the midst of a turbulent NATO process and was shaken by several Koran burnings that had caused violent protests around the world. Among other things, the Swedish embassy in Baghdad had been stormed.
This happened at a time when there was strong polarization around Koran burnings. This was an attempt to fuel it further, says Ljungqvist.
Did they succeed?
I think so. Partly, they succeeded. As a result of this, the tone was significantly raised.
After August 1, we could see an increased polarization between the groups that were against Koran burning and those who supported the Koran burners.
"As safe as you can be"
The preliminary investigation conducted by Säpo has, in addition to showing that the Iranian state via IRGC is behind the special operation, been able to identify the individuals who were behind the attack itself. Ljungqvist does not want to specify exactly how many people were identified, but says it is "under five".
How sure are you that Iran is behind?
The preliminary investigation, we believe, has shown who is behind this. We are as safe as you can be.
Identified
Despite this, the preliminary investigation was dropped in April. The individuals are in Iran and it is deemed impossible to request their arrest or detention in absentia and have them extradited.
They are people we cannot reach.
The statute of limitations for the crime is ten years, and until then, the individuals can be arrested if they come to Sweden or countries Sweden has cooperation with.
