A suspected espionage case with ties to Sweden has emerged in Portugal, raising concerns about intelligence gathering activities targeting NATO allies. The incident highlights the increasing threat landscape faced by military personnel involved in international collaborations.
The alleged espionage unfolded during and after a conference held in February 2025 at the Naval School in Lisbon, focusing on the development of unmanned maritime systems. Participants included representatives from NATO member states and partner countries, including military personnel from Sweden.
According to a recent indictment, a 23-year-old Portuguese man learned the dates of the conference and checked into the same hotel as several foreign delegates. He is accused of stealing a laptop and an iPad belonging to a Swedish Armed Forces officer working with NATO.
Following the alleged theft, the man reportedly went to the Russian embassy in Lisbon, intending to sell the stolen information to Russian agents. But, his attempt appears to have been unsuccessful.
The Portuguese Public Prosecutor’s Office is now prosecuting the man for attempted espionage, among other charges. Prosecutors argue the conference was of significant importance to NATO and its allies, and the topics discussed were of high interest to intelligence services outside the alliance.
The man is currently being held in custody awaiting trial. During questioning, he claimed to be part of a larger “spy organization,” but prosecutors state there is no evidence to support this claim.
The Swedish Armed Forces has confirmed the incident. According to Jonas Beltrame-Linné, press officer for the Swedish Armed Forces, the affected individual is a Swedish Navy officer working for NATO’s maritime component, MARCOM. He stated the stolen laptop was a “non-classified NATO computer” containing no confidential information, and the iPad was “a service iPad from the Armed Forces” which also did not contain any classified data.
The officer has since recovered the equipment.
“The incident itself is serious, even though no information was lost or the Swedish Armed Forces’ interests were harmed,” said Jonas Beltrame-Linné. “However, this clearly demonstrates the threat to our personnel linked to the security situation. We maintain a high level of security awareness and are well aware of the risks we may face.”
This case comes as NATO members are increasing their focus on unmanned maritime systems and innovative technologies, as demonstrated by recent exercises off the coast of Portugal. The alliance is also preparing for a significant increase in defense spending, agreeing to raise the investment target to 5 percent of GDP over the next decade, replacing the previous 2 percent benchmark set in 2014.
