The training of the bodyguards of the Prime Minister and the King of Sweden compromises national security.

BarcelonaThe Swedish Security Services (Säpo) are under scrutiny after a leak of confidential information was revealed that could have seriously compromised the security of the country's top political figures. These leaks have been recurring for years, although in principle it was not a deliberate act, but rather malpractice. of some of its members. According to the newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Several bodyguards for members of the government and the royal family have publicly shared their workouts on Strava, an app that records routes taken by bike, running, or walking.

The newspaper has reviewed more than 1,400 workouts from seven bodyguards who had their Strava profiles completely open, allowing anyone to see the routes they have taken in recent years. But the problem is that they have not only shared information about their private lives, but also about the people they are supposed to protect, such as the prime minister and the royal family.

At least five of the bodyguards have protected Ulf Kristersson since he became Prime Minister of Sweden and have leaked information that reveals classified information, such as the location of his private residence, places he has traveled privately, and which areas he usually runs. For example, last year Kristersson and his wife took a private weekend trip to Finland, which had not been publicly disclosed. However, one of his bodyguards posted his training routes, which began and ended at one of the most luxurious hotels in the area.

An expert consulted by the newspaper indicates that it is particularly worrying that the prime minister's usual routes can be traced around his residence or workplace.

Last year, the French newspaper Le Monde published a series of reports explaining how bodyguards of several world leaders had released similar information, endangering people like Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden, and Vladimir Putin. Those reports had already revealed the security holes in apps like Strava, but according to the Dagens Nyheter, Swedish bodyguards have been posting their routes until now.

The newspaper has spoken to several experts who have stated that, in the worst case scenario, this information can be used to plan attacks against the personalities the bodyguards are supposedly protecting. "If you know that a person goes jogging on Djurgården every Saturday at 3 p.m., it's much easier to plan an attack or a kidnapping," says national security expert Carolina Angelis.

Among the workouts analyzed by the Swedish newspaper are activities all over the world: in New York's Central Park, at military bases in Mali, on the border between Poland and Ukraine, at a luxury resort in the Seychelles... Using information from Strava, the DN has identified the prime minister's location on at least 35 occasions, including at his private residence, information that is secret precisely for security reasons.

Royal Household Security

The newspaper also revealed that a bodyguard posted a training session around a luxury hotel on an Indian Ocean island. The hotel had promised to keep secret who was staying there that night. But the bodyguard posted his training session, which revealed the exact location of himself and the people he was protecting, who happened to be the King and Queen of Sweden. The trip took place in March 2023. At the time, the only public information was that the royal couple were on a private vacation to the Seychelles, but the leak from the security services reveals exactly which island and hotel they were staying at.

At least five of the seven bodyguards analyzed have protected the King or Princess Victoria, revealing locations such as the monarch's mansion on the French Riviera or their summer and winter residences. "It's worrying, especially in terms of the places they often go. These types of lifestyle patterns are interesting to a potential attacker," says security expert Johan Wiktorin. For example, it allows one to know exactly where the royal family stays when they go skiing in the winter, and what the most common routes are.

These bodyguards have not only published information about themselves and the people they protect, but also about the Security Services headquarters, as they have shared several training sessions showing how they move within the facilities.

"We take this information very seriously. It's information that could have been used to track the activities of the Security Services. How this may have been affected is what we are investigating," says Carolina Björnsdotter Paasikivi, head of Säpo's security department. She explained that there are guidelines that "have not been followed in some cases." "We are now taking measures to ensure that procedures are followed," she added, without giving details.