Lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen and his wife were arrested in a dawn raid by the National Task Force on October 17 last year. They were suspected by the Security Police, Säpo, of crimes against national security.
Last week, the National Security Unit announced that the investigation against Johan Huovinen had been closed, while the case against the wife was still ongoing. The military expert then told in an interview with TV4 Nyheterna about, among other things, how the Säporazzian took place, the prison time, how ostracized he was and about the Russian connection.
But according to Johan Huovinen, the couple knew that Säpo was investigating them long before the arrest.
Huovinen: FRA disclosed about Säpo’s involvement
The woman has worked for decades at the sensitive intelligence agency FRA, the Defense Radio Agency, which, among other things, deals with top-secret signals intelligence. The operations and all personnel are surrounded by strict confidentiality.
According to Johan Huovinen, it was in connection with FRA’s internal security work that the authority accidentally resigned.
– If you are in a security-classified workplace, follow-up interviews must be conducted at least once a year, or as needed. My wife had such a conversation at her workplace in the spring of 2023. We understood then that there was an interest in us, says Johan Huovinen.
Over the years, Johan Huovinen and his wife have undergone a series of routine security interviews. But during the woman’s last call, it was clear that something was not right, according to him.
– It emerged that they showed an excessive interest in certain information. We understood that this is not how you do it if there is no demand from the Security Police. Then we understood that it is Säpo that must be involved, he says.
“Oh, the Security Police are following me”
The lieutenant colonel is gagged and cannot tell what questions the wife asked.
– I don’t want to go into their security department’s working methods. But it was clear they were working for someone else. With these kinds of questions that they asked, you understood that they were working for someone else.
He states that they continued to live as usual even though they were sure that they were on Säpo’s radar. They also assume that they have been tapped on mobile phones, in the home and in the car.
– But we have no difficulties with that. If you are innocent, you just go on living. They can watch me for a year or two years or ten years. It doesn’t matter that much. But we did not understand that it would lead to what happened on October 17.
– Many may feel “oh, the Security Police are following me.” But and? Play a role. I haven’t done anything. I am innocent. It’s only if you’re doing something stupid that you get scared. If you haven’t committed anything stupid, you don’t get scared, but just say welcome. I am clean as a baby.
Lasted for about half a year
Information received by Johan Huovinen is that the Security Police began the formal reconnaissance, surveillance and mapping about six months before the arrest. From Säpo’s documents, which TV4 Nyheterna has seen, it is confirmed that the official preliminary investigation started at the beginning of May.
– We are the result of new legislation in Sweden about monitoring people. It had started on May 1, 2023, and it leads to us being arrested on October 17. Barely before six months had passed. They might have been given a six-month mission to follow us, then you decide to strike and then it turns out like this. Maybe they felt stressed, but I don’t know. Now I’m just speculating.
According to Huovinen, the wife did not discover whether the FRA took any action against her between the security call, where they allegedly disclosed Säpo’s interest in the couple, and until the arrest.
– We did not perceive anything like that. She was like giving a presentation to someone at the government office, one of the ministers or state secretaries, after the security meeting. But it is difficult to answer 100 percent.
TV4 Nyheterna has applied to FRA, Säpo and the two security prosecutors who lead the investigation. They do not want to comment on the alleged security breach, citing confidentiality and non-disclosure.
Last Saturday 10:20