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Sweden has officially accused Iran of being behind a cyberattack that sent thousands of text messages to people in Sweden, calling for revenge over the burnings of the Quran in 2023.

Let’s bring you up to speed: In August 2023, approximately 15,000 text messages were reportedly sent to people across Sweden following a cyberattack. These messages, sent in Swedish, called for revenge against those involved in the public burnings of the Quran earlier that year, which had sparked widespread outrage. The texts, attributed to a group calling itself the “Anzu team,” aimed to incite anger and portrayed Swedes as “demons,” demanding retribution for the Quran burnings.

What Swedish officials are saying: In a statement, Swedish senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said, “It was the Iranian state via the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, that carried out a data breach at a Swedish company that runs a major SMS service.” He added. “Since the actors are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we make the assessment that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking for the persons suspected of being behind the breach. It does not mean that the suspected hackers have been completely written off.”

Iran pushes back:  In a statement, Iran’s embassy in Sweden said they consider “the accusations to be baseless and rejects them.” They added that the accusations could “poison and affect the atmosphere of bilateral relations.”