VOA News | Thursday, May 30, 2024 
Stockholm says Iran uses gangs to target Israeli, Jewish interests in Sweden 

Sweden’s domestic security agency accused Iran on Thursday of using gangs in the country to target Israeli or Jewish interests. Daniel Stenling, head of counterintelligence at the Swedish Security Service, made the accusations at a news conference. “It is very much about planning and attempts to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, goals and activities in Sweden,” he said. The security agency sees “connections between criminal individuals in the criminal networks and individuals who are connected to the Iranian security services.” Reuters received no immediate response from Iran’s Foreign Ministry to a request for comment on the Swedish statement. The Security Service also accused Iran of looking to act against dissidents among the Iranian diaspora and targeting the interests of other states. Gang violence has persisted in Sweden for years, with 53 people shot dead and 109 injured in 363 shootings in 2023. Sweden has the highest number of deadly shootings per capita in Europe, which can be partially attributed to disputes between two powerful gangs. “We see this connection between the Iranian intelligence services, the security services and precisely criminals in the criminal networks in Sweden,” Stenling said. “We see that connection and it also means that we need to work much more internationally to get to the crimes and be able to prevent them.” – Read more