February 21, 2025
Sweden’s government has accused a Shiite Muslim mosque in Stockholm and its Iranian Imam of being a platform for Iranian spying against Sweden and the Iranian diaspora living in Sweden. The Imam, Mohsen Hakimollahi, has been detained by the Swedish police and is being processed for deportation to Iran, the Stockholm daily Expressen reported.
Sweden’s Minister for Social Affairs said on X February 3 that the Swedish Security Service assessed that the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Stockholm was used by Iran as a platform to spy and conduct activities threatening security.
“This is extremely serious,” Jakob Forssmed said, adding that Sweden had stopped all state financial aid to the center. “State funds should not be used for activities that conflict with fundamental democratic values,” he said. In a statement on its website, the Imam Ali Islamic Center said it was an independent organization without any links to political parties or states.
“IAC maintains strict oversight to ensure that our premises are not used as a platform for any criminal activity,” it said, denying claims that it had received money from foreign states. Iran‘s state news agency, IRNA, reported Iran had called in Sweden’s ambassador in Tehran to protest at the detention of the head of the Islamic Center.
“Diplomatic regulations were not respected in his case, he was not allowed to see his family members or Iranian diplomats, which begs questions and to which we express our objection,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
