Sweden accuses Iran of promoting revenge after Quran burnings

Cyber group acting for the IRGC hacked messaging service in 'a campaign of influence', officials in Stockholm say

Police intervene after public opposition to the burning of the Quran outside Stockholm's central mosque last year. Reuters

The Swedish Security Service on Tuesday blamed Iran for hacking into a text messaging service last year and sending thousands of messages urging Swedes to take revenge against Quran burners.

On several occasions in 2023, people set fire to Islam's holy book in public in Sweden, prompting outrage in the Muslim world and raising fears of attacks by extremists. Swedish prosecutors said last month they would put two men on trial for setting fire to the Quran.

"The security police are able to establish that a cyber group acted on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] to carry out an influence campaign," the security service said in a statement. "The purpose was, among other things, to paint the image of Sweden as an Islamophobic country and create division in society."

Protests in region against desecration of Quran in Sweden - in pictures

Sweden last year raised its terrorism alert following the Quran burnings.

"That a state actor, in this case Iran, according to the security police's assessment, is behind an act that aims to destabilise Sweden or increase polarisation in our country is of course very serious," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Reuters on Tuesday.

Iran's embassy in Stockholm rejected the accusation, the Iranian Students News Agency (Isna) reported, saying: "We expect Swedish authorities to curb this scheme against Iran ... especially since the Swedish judiciary issued a rightful decision to prosecute those who desecrated the Holy Quran. The publication of these claims in the media will only poison the relations between the two countries."

In a separate statement, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said the investigation showed it was Iran's IRGC that carried out the data breach. It said it had identified the hackers but would not press charges because it was unlikely to achieve a prosecution abroad or the extradition of people accused to Sweden.