The secret documents that Swedish politician Henrik Landerholm (M) forgot at a conference center concerned a meeting with the US about Sweden’s NATO application. Sweden’s security police SÄPO now directs sharp criticism at the government’s sluggish response.
The security-classified documents, which are still missing without a trace, concerned a conversation between then-national security advisor Henrik Landerholm and former US security advisor Jake Sullivan.
The meeting in question, which took place during a decisive phase of the NATO process, focused on strategies to convince Turkey to give the green light to Sweden’s membership. The documents contained sensitive information from both the Swedish Armed Forces and the Security Police and were marked with “H” – the highest degree of secrecy.
According to Bonnier-owned Dagens Nyheter’s investigation, SÄPO has subsequently established that the Government Offices’ security department did not act immediately when the documents’ disappearance was discovered. Contrary to what was previously stated, it took four days before measures were implemented.
During that time, the documents had been lying in an unlocked cabinet at a conference center for at least two nights.
The documents were found by a cleaner with connections to violent extremism. The cleaner later reportedly received €1,300 from a Russian citizen. Whether the money is connected to the documents remains unclear.
Denies wrongdoing
The background to the affair has been known previously: in spring 2023, Landerholm left the documents behind in a cabinet in a changing room. This led to charges for negligence with secret information and to his resignation as security advisor.
The prosecutor argues that the disclosure could have caused serious damage to national security. During the investigation, SÄPO discovered that a central email about the incident had been deleted, something that technicians have managed to recover.
Henrik Landerholm denies wrongdoing and claims that the documents never fell into unauthorized hands. His lawyer Johan Eriksson has previously emphasized that Landerholm also questions whether what he is accused of is even criminalized.
– According to my own understanding, I have neither realized nor should have realized that any of the information was security-classified, Landerholm has said in interrogation.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson dismisses allegations of cover-up and refers to the upcoming trial, which begins on August 18.
The opposition, however, demands continued transparency and clearer answers about how the government handles sensitive information.
Facts: Negligent handling of classified information and the charges against Henrik Landerholm
- Negligent handling of classified information means that someone through gross negligence reveals or spreads information that could damage Sweden's security. Unlike espionage, no intent to assist a foreign power is required.
- If someone is suspected of this crime, it is the Swedish Security Police (Säkerhetspolisen) that investigates whether a crime has been committed.
- Prosecutors at the National Security Unit lead the preliminary investigations. The penalty for negligent handling of classified information is fines or imprisonment for up to one year.
- The Swedish Security Police criticizes the Government Offices' (Regeringskansliet) handling, including that alerts and measures were delayed by four days.
- An email about the incident was deleted but could be recovered by the Security Police's technicians.
- Henrik Landerholm denies the charges and claims that the documents never fell into unauthorized hands.
- The trial begins on August 18, 2025.
