Swedish secret police investigates espionage against Ericsson Telecom

Expressen can reveal today that the [Swedish]Secret Police has been investigating an extensive industrial espionage mounted against Ericsson Telecom by spies emanating from the Cuban embassy in Stockholm.

The purpose of the mission was to obtain secret information regarding sensitive parts manufactured by Ericsson that are used in fighter planes, according to sources.

It was here at the Cuban Embassy, located in central Stockholm at Karlavagen 49, that the whole operation was planed and directed against Ericsson Telecom, south of the city.

According to several sources, there were several agents working in the Cuban embassy during the period undertaken for the espionage in 1995. One of the spies at the embassy called himself Tony and claimed to be a Commercial Attache. Another spy used the alias of Fausto. A third one, Jorge Omar, was even able to get inside Ericsson's local disguised as a cleaner, using identity badges and a pass card to move around inside the building.

CUBAN REVEALS PLAN

The man who would later reveal the whole operation to the Swedish authorities is a Cuban by the name of Juan Miguel Sobrino, an architect by training who was in Angola during the 1980's as a Captain in the Cuban army there. Expressen met Juan Miguel Sobrino in a discreet place in Stockholm yesturday.

Juan Miguel Sobrino came to Sweden in 1994 for political reasons. He had planned a new life and even started to learn Swedish.

On November 27th of 1995, while on his way to school, he was approached at the Liljeholmen subway station by two men, one of them called Tony, the other Fausto.

" They presented themselves first and said they were from the Cuban embassy in Stockholm. They wanted to talk to me about something very important," said Juan Miguel Sobrino. Both men said that it was about a very delicate situation needing the assistance of someone like Juan Miguel, who had undertaken similar assignments in Angola.

The mission was to enter Ericsson's building and make plans of it, and later be ready to steal information on radio equipment for use in the Cuban Air Force fighter planes.

" Since security at Ericsson is very high, it demanded that I make a floor plan, including every machine and every room exactly as they appear. Then according to the mission, two other persons would later take over when I was finished," said Juan Miguel.

If Juan Miguel undertook the mission, he will receive $15,000 dollars and furthermore get a written guarantee stating that he never has to return back to Cuba.

But Juan Miguel, who had previously done such undercover work in Angola, realised how risky the venture was. It was then back in December of 1995 that he made direct contact with Ericsson's Director of Security, Mr. Nils Scherlund, and Mr. Patrik Pettersson at Huddinge police station in the suburb of Stockholm.

Juan Miguel told both men all he knew about the planned operation against Ericsson. He made known the names of the spy who was already working as a cleaner with the intension to steal documents.

Juan Miguel said to Expressen that he has made availlable to the Secret Police all the information he has on the espionage affair. The Secret Police has on several occasions contacted him to get help with the identification of different persons with connections to Cuba.

In conversations with Ericsson Telecom, Juan Miguel was offered money to keep quiet. He refused the money and instead decided to go public. Today he lives in a secret address in the middle of Sweden.

Asked if he fears for his life, he said: " Yes, there are a lot of people angry at me."

FOOTNOTE: Expressen has tried to make contact with the Cuban embassy without much luck. [ The person who was already inside Ericsson as a cleaner is not working anymore there nor at the Firm that hired him.]

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Niklas Svensson : Tel: +46 8 738 3000
E mail: Niklas.Svensson@expressen.se
Translation from Swedish to English: Robert Vieites

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