An employee of a Swedish high-tech company has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.

Counter-intelligence chief Daniel Stenling said they believed the suspect was recruited by a Russian intelligence officer posing as a diplomat.

Swedish media released video purporting to show the suspect being led from a restaurant after meeting their contact. The suspect had been working on « tasks known to be the type of intelligence sought after by foreign powers », a security service statement said, without giving details.

« It is suspected that the criminal activities have been going on since 2017, » it added.

A witness quoted by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said several officers of the Swedish security police, known as Sapo, stormed the restaurant and surrounded a table where two people were sitting having a meal.

Swedish media said a second person was also detained in the operation but later released after claiming diplomatic immunity.

Mr Stenling said security threats to Sweden were the most extensive for several years.

« Technological developments have made state actors’ efforts to gather intelligence in cyberspace more sophisticated, » he said. « At the same time, the more traditional intelligence-gathering approach, using recruited agents to collect information, is still being used. This combination enables state actors to broaden and deepen their collection of classified information. »

Last year, the head of Sweden’s security service said the agency was concerned about growing foreign political interference.

« It’s very important for us to follow this and we are not shy in Sweden – we say that the biggest threat to our security in that perspective is Russia, » Anders Thornberg said.

Analysts believe it is a debate within Sweden about whether to move closer to Nato that has made the country a particular target for Moscow.