- Iran’s IRGC accused of hacking Sweden’s SMS system
- Messages called for revenge over Quran burnings
- Swedish authorities closed the investigation due to foreign involvement
Sweden has accused Iran of orchestrating a cyberattack involving thousands of text messages calling for revenge over the burning of the Quran. On Tuesday, the Swedish Prosecution Authority announced that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) hacked into a local SMS provider in 2023, sending around 15,000 messages urging retaliation for the desecration of Islam’s holy book.
A statement from Sweden’s Security Service (SAPO) clarified, “[A] cyber group acted on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to conduct an influence campaign.” The campaign sought to portray Sweden as an Islamophobic nation and sow division within the country, according to SAPO.
Swedish broadcaster SVT released a sample text message, which read, “Those who desecrated the Quran must have their work covered in ashes,” and referred to Swedes as “demons.”
As of the time of reporting, Iranian officials had not responded to the accusations.
Text Messages and Protests
The hack was linked to a group identifying as the Anzu team, which distributed the messages in August 2023. These messages followed protests in Sweden where the Quran was desecrated. While the protests were legally approved under Sweden’s freedom of speech laws, they reignited debate over the balance between free speech and the respect for religious minorities in Europe. Like many Western nations, Sweden does not have laws specifically prohibiting blasphemy or the desecration of religious texts.
Following the Quran burnings, Sweden raised its terrorism alert.
Escalating Foreign Influence
Fredrik Hallstrom, SAPO’s operational manager, pointed to growing foreign exploitation of vulnerabilities in Sweden, noting that external forces are becoming “more aggressive” in their efforts to divide the nation. He refrained from naming specific countries in the broader statement.
Investigation Closure
Swedish prosecutors have identified the Iranian hackers believed to be responsible for the campaign but have closed the investigation due to challenges in prosecuting foreign actors. Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist explained, “Since the actors are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we make the assessment that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking for the persons suspected of being behind the breach.”
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However, Ljungqvist did not rule out reopening the investigation if circumstances change.
Earlier in May, Swedish intelligence accused Iran of utilizing local criminal networks as proxies to target Israeli or Jewish interests in Sweden.
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