Tobias Thyberg, who resigned as Sweden's national security advisor due to a scandal involving explicit images, has been reinstated as the head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia unit at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Despite the controversy, Thyberg passed two new security clearances, allowing him to return to his previous role. The incident has sparked criticism of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's handling of the situation.
Tobias Thyberg Reinstated as Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Swedish Foreign Ministry
Tobias Thyberg Reinstated as Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Swedish Foreign Ministry
Tobias Thyberg resigned as national security advisor due to a scandal involving explicit images. Now, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs announces that he will return to his former position as head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia unit.
Tobias Thyberg succeeded Henrik Landerholm as national security advisor in May this year but resigned shortly after. He announced his departure after nude images of him were circulated to the government offices and several media outlets.
According to Thyberg, he should have disclosed the images, which were sent via a dating app, during his security clearance. Meanwhile, the handling of the situation has drawn criticism towards Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who has been accused of acting anxiously and hastily.
Thyberg Returns to Leadership Role at the Ministry
During his brief tenure as national security advisor, Tobias Thyberg was on leave from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he had served as ambassador to Ukraine and most recently as head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia unit.
It is now confirmed that Thyberg is back in his old job.
"Tobias Thyberg is a departmental advisor and head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia unit," writes the Ministry's press service in an email to Expressen.
According to Expressen's information, Thyberg had to undergo two new security clearances, which he passed, allowing him to return to work in mid-July.
In July, the government also announced the recruitment of a new national security advisor, Niclas Kvarnström, who also has a diplomatic background.
Criticism of Government's Handling
People close to Thyberg have criticized the government's handling of the case.
"The fact that he passed these new tests shows that everything that happened around him was more about PR than a security risk. You can only be blackmailed if the images are a secret, and they were not," says a person with insight.