RIGA - Sweden on Sunday said it had seized a ship suspected of having damaged a fibre-optic cable under the Baltic Sea linking the country to Latvia, which sent a warship to investigate the latest apparent act of sabotage.
The latest incident came as nations around the Baltic Sea scramble to bolster their defences after the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months, with some observers blaming Russia.
Swedish prosecutors opened an investigation into "aggravated sabotage", according to a statement from the Scandinavian nation's prosecutors' office.
"A vessel suspected of having committed the sabotage has been seized," the statement added.
Latvia's navy earlier said it had identified a "suspect vessel", the Michalis San, near the location of the incident along with two other ships.
Several websites tracking naval traffic said the Michalis San was headed for Russia.
"We have a warship patrolling the Baltic Sea around the clock every day and night, allowing us to quickly dispatch it once we learnt about the damage," Latvian navy commander Maris Polencs said at a briefing Sunday.
Prime Minister Evika Silina said Riga had notified the Swedish authorities and that the two countries were working together in response to the incident.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed he had been in contact with Silina during the day.
"There is information suggesting that at least one data cable between Sweden and Latvia has been damaged in the Baltic Sea. The cable is owned by a Latvian entity," he posted on X.
"Sweden, Latvia and NATO are closely cooperating on the matter," he added.