A now-dead senior diplomat at Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs is suspected of having emailed explicit nude photographs of the country’s then-newly appointed national security adviser to recipients in Russia.
The diplomat, a man in his 50s described by former colleagues as “highly knowledgeable and experienced”, committed suicide shortly after his arrest in a high-profile police raid.
The ongoing investigation has uncovered details of secret surveillance, suspicious document removals and potential espionage links, raising serious concerns about foreign interference in Swedish security affairs.
Details of the case were published by Swedish news magazine Fokus and confirmed by sources to daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) and broadcaster SVT.
The scandal revolves around Tobias Thyberg, a former ambassador to Ukraine, who was appointed Sweden’s national security adviser on May 8, 2025.
He succeeded Henrik Landerholm, who had resigned in January over alleged negligent handling of confidential information.
Thyberg’s appointment was short-lived: He was suspended before taking up his duties and resigned within 24 hours following the dissemination of compromising images.
According to reports, just 33 minutes after Thyberg’s appointment was publicly announced, an anonymous sender using a ProtonMail account — an encrypted email service often used to conceal identities — distributed nude images of him, reportedly sourced from the gay dating app Grindr, to key Swedish officials and media outlets.
Recipients included Johan Stuart, State Secretary to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and Björn Fagerberg, Co-ordinator for the National Security Advisor at Prime Minister’s Office.
The same email was also sent to several Swedish media organisations. The images were described as sensitive nudes, including a “dickpic”— slang for a photograph of male genitalia.
The anonymous sender was, according to reports, likely a high-ranking Swedish diplomat.
What escalated the matter from a personal scandal to a national security threat was the discovery that the email had been forwarded to addresses in Russia, including members of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.
The images were perceived as an attempt to label Thyberg a security risk, vulnerable to blackmail by foreign entities.
He deleted his Grindr account shortly before his appointment but the rapid spread of the material led to his immediate resignation on the night of May 8, 2025, following inquiries by DN.
He has not commented publicly on the affair.
Shortly after Thyberg’s resignation, the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) launched a dramatic raid on the diplomat’s residence near UD headquarters in central Stockholm.
The operation was triggered by secret surveillance initiated after the ProtonMail account was traced to the diplomat through government IT systems.
Säpo observers had seen the diplomat leaving foreign ministry premises in the evening with “a large number of UD [ministry] folders”, prompting immediate action to prevent potential evidence loss.
No details have been released about the folders’ contents.
The National Task Force executed the raid, breaking through the entrance door and a reinforced security door. The diplomat, believing it to be a violent burglary by “foreign robbers”, was handcuffed and detained on suspicion of espionage.
Police were in civilian clothes, partially masked and spoke English — a tactic described as occasional but routine.
He was held for three days, during which he reportedly suffered severe distress: He underwent checks every half-hour, suffered an inability to eat or sleep and physical injuries including bleeding and pain in his neck and back, as detailed in a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) by his family.
Chief Prosecutor Anders Jakobsson at the Special Prosecutor’s Office justified the raid’s intensity, stating: “The person subjected to this was suspected of espionage. It is a serious crime, and Säpo must act quickly, otherwise evidence risks being lost.”
An internal review deemed the force “justifiable and proportionate”. Despite that, the diplomat’s lawyer, Anton Strand, filed a complaint alleging a “terror experience” and excessive violence in a “disproportionate operation”.
The family’s JO complaint accused police of “physical and psychological assault” but that was dismissed without investigation.
Released on May 14, 2025, the diplomat was taken to a psychiatric emergency unit where doctors assessed him as not suicidal.
He took his own life the next day.
Prior to his death, he was under a gag order and had insisted on his innocence to family members.
He had filed a report against the police for assault and misconduct, which was dismissed a month later.
Säpo’s investigation quickly linked the diplomat to the Proton account but he was cleared of some initial suspicions, although the broader espionage probe continues.
Chief Prosecutor Per Lindqvist at the National Security Unit confirmed the inquiry is active, stating: “The investigation continues and it is difficult to provide a schedule; there is nothing more to communicate at this time.”
No formal charges or convictions have been reported.
Lindqvist declined to comment on connections to Thyberg’s resignation.
