The man from Västerås is suspected of aiding and abetting murder and aggravated weapons offenses, something VLT first reported. The suspicions relate to the murder of an 18-year-old man in Västerås on July 9 last year. The man was arrested in absentia on 5 September and remanded in custody in absentia.
"The international arrest warrant was issued on December 22 because I had information that he had left the country," says public prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad, who is leading the investigation.
Consequence of a search warrant
Ingblad has not received official confirmation that it is the man in his 20s who has been arrested and therefore does not want to confirm the information. On the other hand, the man's lawyer Joel Apitzsch does, who says that the arrest was made as a consequence of the search warrant:
"It's not that he's suspected of a crime there, he was arrested as a result of the international arrest warrant that was issued from Sweden.
The murder suspect's lawyer Joel Apitzsch. Photo: Fredrik Persson/TT
Related in Iran
According to Apitzsch, the man has relatives in Iran but is not an Iranian citizen.
"My client's position is that he wants to be extradited to Sweden as quickly as possible and I am working to ensure that this is the case.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that a Swedish man in his 20s had been arrested in Iran and that the embassy in Tehran is in contact with local authorities. It declined to comment on the reason for the arrest, citing "consular confidentiality."
TT has contacted the Foreign Ministry and has been in contact with the man's family, who declined to comment.