The lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen is acquitted: 'Foil hats'

Säpo
The lieutenant colonel's words after the announcement: "You can't relate to foil hats"

Martin Palmborg

Updated 15.36 | Published 13.47

Photo: Rasmus Walldén / Schibsted

Lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen was acquitted yesterday of all suspicions of crimes against the security of the kingdom.

Suspicions against his wife remain, but Huovinen hopes that she too will be acquitted.

- We have been suspicious for eleven months. It is clear that it is difficult and degrading, he says.

Johan Huovinen, who was previously seen as a Ukraine expert in several media, has been suspected of gross unauthorized position with secret information.

But on Wednesday, the prosecutor's office's security chamber announced that he had been cleared of suspicion.

According to Huovinen himself, the investigation was initiated because he worked for a time in Russia on behalf of the defense forces, and he is now relieved after yesterday's announcement.

- There will always be people who say "no smoke without fire, he has been to Russia, he must be a spy". But you can't relate to foil hats, says Huovinen.

Wife still suspicious: "Strengthened our relationship"

In October 2023, the security police raided Huovinen's apartment in Stockholm where, among other things, computers were seized. In connection with that, he was arrested and detained together with his wife, who worked for the Defense Radio Agency (FRA).

The arrests were lifted after just over a month. The suspicions against the wife still remain, but Houvinen now hopes that she too will be acquitted.

- Sometimes you feel bad, sometimes you feel good. But it's lucky that there were two of us in this and in many ways it has strengthened our relationship, he says.