Sweden accuses Iran of using Stockholm mosque for spying

The Swedish government has accused Tehran of using a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Stockholm to spy on Sweden and the Iranian diaspora there.

The Swedish Security Service has assessed that the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Stockholm was used by Iran as a means of spying and conduct activities threatening security, said Sweden's Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed on his X account.

The Swedish minister called it "extremely serious," adding that Sweden had stopped all state monetary aid to the center. "State funds should not be used for activities that conflict with fundamental democratic values."

"An additional process" is under way, he added, without providing further details.

Iranian cleric Mohsen Hakimollahi, the Islamic Center's imam, was arrested nearly two weeks and faces deportation from Sweden, Expressen reported Friday.

“He has been missing for more than ten days, and we learned through various channels that he is in one of the Swedish Migration Board's detention centers and will soon be deported from the country,” added the source.

The Imam Ali Islamic Center, considered the largest Shi'ite institution in Northern Europe, has not issued a public statement on the matter.

Hakimollahi, aged 63, was transferred from Iran to Sweden to manage the Shi'ite center and had resided in the country for several years, developing connections with local political figures and religious organizations.