Wikileaks grundare Julian Assange eftersökt för våldtäkt i Sverige

The Swedish government has announced that American spies have monitored Swedish citizens and residents in the country. Sweden was not informed the spying was taking place, according to Justice Minister Beatrice Ask.

The revelation follows accusations that U.S. defense officials had pressured Sweden to force WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to move his operations outside Sweden. Assange has already threatened to sue Swedish prosecutors for filing what he considers phony rape charges against him under pressure from the Pentagon in the United States, which he has repeatedly embarrassed by publishing scores of previously secret or otherwise unknown Iraq and Afghanistan war documents.

The justice minister said the spying had been going on since 2006. “It seems as though we haven’t been fully informed and that’s not good,” she said, according to European publications.

The media in Norway and Denmark have reported similar clandestine activities in their countries -- unusual since all three countries are strong U.S. allies.

The surveillance material was gathered to help protect the U.S. Embassy in Sweden, the minister said. “We welcome that those countries that have a heightened threat risk apply their own measures to reduce the risk of attacks, but of course it has to be done in line of what the Swedish law says and permits.”

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks, U.S. intelligence has secretly detained residents of numerous countries who were suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups. In some cases the detainees were released after being cleared, but only after they were allegedly tortured.

There have been no reports of Danish, Swedish or Norway nations being subject to such treatment, often called "rendition."

The failure of Swedish authorities to follow up on accusations of rape against Assange nearly three months after they were first leaked have raised questions about officials' intentions. Stockholm also denied Assange a residence permit, though prosecutors said the rape accusations were not involved in that matter. Assange, an Australian, had hoped to be based in Sweden because of its strong laws protecting whistleblowers.