The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported on September 25 that, according to the Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, a former Swedish security police chief has been arrested on the charges of spying on behalf of the Iranian regime.
Peyman Kia, aged 40-years, who was identified by local and Persian language websites, is accused of spying on behalf of the regime between 2011 and 2015. He had obtained Swedish citizenship and, at the time in question, was working as a director in the Swedish Security Police (SPO), as well as an analyst for the Swedish military.
The NCRI said, “Kia was arrested on Monday. On Thursday, the court decided to order detention for this person on charges of grossly and unlawfully abusing his position as someone with access to classified information and violating national security to avoid him destroying documents or escaping.”
This latest arrest comes just a month after Swedish authorities arrested an Iranian couple for trying to obtain refugee status in the country under false Afghan identities. Following their arrest, the couple were discovered to be agents from the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
In February of this year, Vienna-based Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, along with three accomplices, were arrested and tried in court in Antwerp, Belgium for an attempted bombing of the NCRI rally in France in 2018. Amir Sadouni, Nasimeh Na’ami and Mehrdad Arefani all obtained Belgian citizenship, posing as supporters of the Iranian opposition movement, and conspired with Assadi to transport explosives across Europe. Assadi had smuggled 500 grams of TATP explosives out of Tehran using his diplomatic privileges. The four men were collectively sentences to nearly 70 years in prison.
The NCRI said, “Assadi’s trial and conviction once again highlighted what the Iranian Resistance had said for years: the regime’s embassies and diplomats are promoting terrorism and espionage.”
Assadi was initially arrested in Germany in 2018, where German officials uncovered the network of terrorism and espionage that spread across Europe. A notebook was found in Assadi’s car detailing information about the bomb plot, his travel plans and the amount of money that he had given to other operatives.
Kia’s arrest in Sweden has once again proved how deep the regime’s espionage network runs throughout Europe.
The NCRI said, “As revealed during Assadi’s trial, the Iranian regime is involved in terrorism at top levels. On April 28, 2021, the regime’s then-president Hassan Rouhani confirmed the regime’s Supreme National Security Council takes all decisions regarding Tehran’s malign activities.”
At this stage, the latest spy discovery in Europe should get European officials seriously thinking about the ‘mounting threat of terrorism’ that the regime is bringing to their doorstep. However, it seems that they are only concerned with maintaining a dialogue with the mullahs. Continually appeasing the regime will only encourage them to continue with their terrorist activities.
The NCRI said, “As the Iranian Resistance has reiterated, the EU should close down the regime’s embassies and expel its agents operating in the European Union under various pretexts. This would certainly increase the security of the EU’s citizens.”
