Spy scandal rocks Ericsson

Swedish police said they have identified a ringleader and two accomplices. "The ringleader is suspected of passing secret documents of a Swedish company to a foreign intelligence service for some time," a police statement said. The two accomplices have been charged with helping the ringleader obtain the information.

"The detention of the main suspect took place as he was meeting a foreign intelligence officer."

The police did not provide details of the organisation that the documents were being passed to.

"It is impossible to estimate today what consequences the handover of the secret documents to a foreign power can have for Swedish security," the police statement said.