- Two Iranian-born Swedish brothers were convicted of spying for Russia for 10 years.
- One of them worked for Swedish domestic intelligence and acquired classified information.
- Prosecutors said the brothers tried to cover their tracks, including by asking Google.
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Undercover agents working for Russia have received hefty prison terms after being convicted in a Swedish court case that exposed years of fraud.
Peiman Kia and Payam Kia, two Iranian-born Swedish brothers, spent a decade working undercover for Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, the Associated Press reported.
For a time, one brother worked for Sweden’s internal intelligence services as well as the military, giving them access to state secrets.
During the trial, prosecutors detailed how they panicked and tried to flee, including asking Google how to avoid prosecution. Their search story was filmed when they were in court and was part of the case.
Peiman, 42, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison by a court in Stockholm. His younger brother, who is 35 years old, was sentenced to 9 years and 10 months.
The court verdict against them, according to the AP, states that the brothers worked “for the benefit of Russia and the GRU” and “forwarded and disclosed information” that harmed Sweden’s security.
Between 2014 and 2015, the eldest brother worked for the Swedish domestic intelligence agency Säpo and the armed forces, the court heard.
He is believed to have stolen around 90 classified documents. According to the AP report, his younger brother helped and acquired about 65 documents.
Russia most likely paid Peiman about $50,000 between 2016 and 2017 for the classified documents, prosecutors said, according to The Telegraph.
Shortly before Peiman and Payam’s arrests in September and November 2021 respectively, the brothers tried to cover their tracks and made at least 28 searches on their phones related to evading the law, according to The Telegraph.
Some of the searches included “spy”, “lawyer fees”, “beware of the law” and “disappear in Sweden”, according to court documents published by the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.
They also explored how to permanently delete files from a phone and how to clear messaging app data, the outlet said.
After his older brother’s arrest, Payam “dismantled and smashed a hard drive that was later found in a trash can,” the AP reported.
Peiman’s attorney said he plans to appeal the sentence, while the younger brother has not yet decided whether to appeal, the AP reported.
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