Swedish diplomat 'found dead' after home raided by cops over spy allegations

A Swedish diplomat who was arrested on suspicion of espionage has been "found dead", according to officials.

Swedish police on Sunday and later arrested him on suspicion of espionage. Media outlets in the country reported he was a top diplomat who had been stationed at numerous embassies around the globe. The man was found dead on Thursday following his arrest. Maria Malmer Stenergard, the Moderate Party's Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the local Aftonbladet outlet: "I have been notified about the sad news that an employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has passed away. My thoughts are with the employee's family, friends and colleagues."

When pressed about the man's death, a spokesperson for the Swedish Security Service told the outlet it could neither confirm nor deny the information. The statement about the man's death had reportedly been circulated within the ministry.

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Unfortunately, we can confirm that an employee at the Foreign Service has passed away," the ministry said. "Out of consideration for the relatives, we will not go into any further details."

The Swedish secret service has not revealed the particulars of the espionage allegations. The alleged crimes were said to have happened between May 1 and 11.

Police arrested the suspect on Monday, although he was released. The man's lawyer Anton Strand said following the arrest: "He denies that he has done anything criminal or anything wrong at all."

Swedish broadcaster SVT reported the arrest was in connection to the release of sensitive images that sparked the downfall of Sweden's previous national security advisor Tobias Thyberg on his first day of the job earlier this month. The pictures were reportedly shared on a dating site.

Again, the spokesperson for the intelligence service said it was not able to go into detail about the investigation. "I cannot go into any detail about the investigation, the spokesperson said. "There has been a gag order regarding the interrogations that have happened."

Mr Strand said the diplomat went to a nearby hospital as soon as he was released from police custody. The diplomat also reported the police for assault and misconduct.

He added the man's family have expressed the desire for the investigation to continue. Mr Strand continued: "The relatives also want me to closely follow the police report about assault and misconduct that their relative has already filed. I will do that."