Sweden to deport Iranian cleric due to “national security threat”
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Swedish authorities announced that they have decided to deport Iranian cleric Mohsen Hakim Elahi, representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and imam of the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Stockholm after the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) deemed him a “national security threat.”
Authorities arrested Elahi at midnight, and he is currently being held pending deportation, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen.
Sources close to Elahi stated that they had not received any explanation regarding his arrest or the reasons behind the deportation order, according to the report, and the Swedish Security Service confirmed that there are no ongoing criminal investigations against him.
"I can confirm that we are not conducting any criminal investigation related to this case," said Gabriel Wernstedt, spokesperson for the Swedish Security Service.
Swedish Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed wrote on X that “Iran had used the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Järfälla as a platform for intelligence operations,” alleging that security threats “posed risks not only to Sweden but also to members of the Iranian community in the country, including individuals within the religious center itself.”
Forssmed said he is in contact with the Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities, which is cooperating with the Swedish Security Service in ongoing investigations, and described the allegations as “extremely serious.”
The minister emphasized that the Swedish government will not fund any religious activities that conflict with democratic values and highlighted a new democratic requirement for religious groups receiving state funds that prohibit financial support for organizations that do not uphold Sweden’s core values.
Forssmed confirmed that all government funding for the Imam Ali Center has been suspended, and “additional measures are under consideration to prevent religious institutions from being exploited for foreign intelligence activities.”
