Swedish prosecutors on Tuesday accused Iran’s intelligence service of hacking a text messaging operator in 2023 to distribute messages urging revenge against individuals involved in Koran-burning protests.
According to Sweden’s Prosecution Authority, around 15,000 messages inciting retaliation against those responsible for desecrating the Koran were sent during the summer of 2023, following a wave of such protests.
“The goal was to sow discord within Swedish society,” the authority stated.
In a separate release, Sweden’s intelligence service, Sapo, revealed that the hacker group responsible for the breach had acted “on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as part of an influence campaign.”
“The objective was to portray Sweden as an Islamophobic nation,” said Fredrik Hallstrom, Sapo’s chief of operations.
In August 2023, following a series of Koran-burning protests, Sapo raised the national threat level to four out of five, citing Sweden as a “prioritized target.”
The protests, which peaked during the summer of 2023, strained relations between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries. In July, Iraqi protesters twice stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, setting fires on the second occasion.
While the Swedish government condemned the desecrations, it emphasized the nation’s constitutionally protected rights to freedom of speech and assembly.
