The Iranian-born Swedish brothers are accused of spying for Russia and its army intelligence service for 10 years.
A trial has opened in Sweden within the case of two Iranian-born Swedish brothers who've been charged with spying for Russia and its army intelligence service GRU for 10 years.
Peyman Kia, 42, and Payam Kia, 35, appeared earlier than the Stockholm District Courtroom on Friday to face accusations of getting labored collectively to go info to Russia between September 28, 2011, and September 20, 2021.
Between 2014 and 2015, Peyman Kia labored for Sweden’s home intelligence company and in addition for Sweden’s armed forces.
Sweden’s prosecutors allege that the info they gave the Russians originated from a number of authorities inside the Swedish safety and intelligence service, recognized by its acronym SAPO.
Swedish media mentioned that Peyman Kia labored for the armed forces’ international defence intelligence company, whose Swedish acronym is MUST, and reportedly labored with a top-secret unit underneath MUST, which was coping with Swedish spies overseas.
Anton Strand, lawyer for the eldest man, mentioned on Thursday his consumer continues to disclaim the accusations.
“He has been working in several positions for the Swedish authorities and has all the time finished his finest to do a very good job in a really troublesome atmosphere,” Strand mentioned.
‘Large downside’
Intelligence professional Joakim von Braun informed Swedish broadcaster SVT because the trial opened that despite the fact that many particulars stay unknown, it seemed to be one in all most damaging instances of espionage in Sweden’s historical past as a result of the lads compiled a listing of all the staff inside SAPO.
“That alone is a giant downside as a result of Russian intelligence focuses on human sources,” von Braun mentioned.
Peyman Kia was arrested in September 2021 and his brother in November 2021. Each denied any wrongdoing, their defence legal professionals informed the court docket.
Payam Kia, 35, helped his brother and “dismantled and broke a tough drive which was later present in a trash can” when his brother was arrested, in response to a cost sheet obtained by the Related Press information company.
The naturalised Swedish residents face sentences as much as life imprisonment if convicted.
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