Sweden Adds Chinese, Russian Activities To List Of Main Security Threats - Report

Umer Jamshaid Published March 14, 2019 | 04:27 PM

The Swedish Security Service has designated the activities of China and Russia as one of the main factors that jeopardize national security, while also admitting that xenophobia and radical nationalism were on the rise in the country

STOCKHOLM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2019) The Swedish Security Service has designated the activities of China and Russia as one of the main factors that jeopardize national security, while also admitting that xenophobia and radical nationalism were on the rise in the country.

"In the past few years, we have seen that Russia in particular has improved its ability to actively and covertly influence other states. This makes it necessary to enhance the ability of the Security Service and other agencies tasked with combating crime and other grey area activities," Klas Friberg, the head of the Swedish Security Service, said in a press release.

Stockholm also cited Beijing's alleged use of cyberattacks as well as its growing economic influence through acquisition of enterprises all over the world as a threat, according to the press release.

At the same time, Islamist movements still remain the most serious security threat for Sweden, while the threat from the white power movement has been growing, the security service noted.

"A xenophobic and radical nationalist current is on the rise in Sweden, where we can see that the white power movement and unorganised xenophobic groups are starting to approach each other. The Security Service is closely monitoring these developments as part of our remit to prevent crime and protect Swedish democracy," Friberg underlined.

Late in February, Swedish law enforcement apprehended a 45-year old man who worked at a high-tech company and had allegedly been gathering intelligence for Russia since 2017. The suspect was later arrested.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refrained from commenting on the detention of the alleged spy, saying that this question should be referred to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has refused to comment on the matter as well.