Swedish military 'sold' arms to Saudi Arabia
Much of the Swedish weaponry sold to Saudi Arabia in recent years actually came from the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), according to a new report.
Many of the sights, mounts, and anti-tank missiles sold by Swedish defence firm Saab to Saudi Arabia came from the Swedish military, the Dagens Industri (DI) newspaper reported.
Following years of cutbacks, the Swedish Armed Forces found itself with a growing surplus of military equipment.
Saab proposed purchasing the materiel from the Swedish military in order to in turn sell it to Saudi Arabia.
Specifically, DI cites a deal by Saab in December 2007, when the company announced an order for several anti-tank missiles.
The paper revealed in 2010 that the buyer was Saudi Arabia, but sources now tell the paper that many of the related mounts and sights actually came from Swedish army warehouses.
According to DI, public documents support the claim that Saab paid the Swedish military for the surplus equipment with the intent of then selling it to Saudi Arabia.
The revelations come following reports last week that Sweden had planned to help build an arms factory in Saudi Arabia, a project which DI reported is directly linked to the sale of the surplus Swedish materiel.
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Many of the sights, mounts, and anti-tank missiles sold by Swedish defence firm Saab to Saudi Arabia came from the Swedish military, the Dagens Industri (DI) newspaper reported.
Following years of cutbacks, the Swedish Armed Forces found itself with a growing surplus of military equipment.
Saab proposed purchasing the materiel from the Swedish military in order to in turn sell it to Saudi Arabia.
Specifically, DI cites a deal by Saab in December 2007, when the company announced an order for several anti-tank missiles.
The paper revealed in 2010 that the buyer was Saudi Arabia, but sources now tell the paper that many of the related mounts and sights actually came from Swedish army warehouses.
According to DI, public documents support the claim that Saab paid the Swedish military for the surplus equipment with the intent of then selling it to Saudi Arabia.
The revelations come following reports last week that Sweden had planned to help build an arms factory in Saudi Arabia, a project which DI reported is directly linked to the sale of the surplus Swedish materiel.
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