One of the initial backers of infamous torrenting site The Pirate Bay, Carl Lundström, has died after crashing his aircraft in bad weather.

He took off in his Mooney M20 propeller plane from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, en route to Zürich in Switzerland, but local media [1]reports that he crashed into a cabin on Slovenia's Velika Planina mountain, splitting the hut in two.

Although rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather, the authorities have now confirmed that a body has been found. Alternative for Sweden, the political party Lundström helped to organize, [2]confirmed his death on Wednesday.

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"Carl Lundström, a legend and veteran of Swedish nationalism, died in a plane crash on Monday," the party said in a statement.

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"Already in the 1980s he saw where the country was heading. Unlike most others, Carl chose to get involved with full force and in every way he could. He supported emerging nationalist organizations and also played an important role in the nationally noted referendum on immigration."

Lundström, who inherited a fortune in 1973 from his family's crispbread corporation, Wasabröd, set up Rix Telecom and between 2003 and 2005 provided the servers, networking, and financial backing for famed torrenting site The Pirate Bay. For this, he was rumored to have received 40 percent of the business.

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He was eventually [7]sentenced to four months in a Swedish prison after being found guilty of being an "accessory to breaching copyright law" and fined 32 million SEK ($3.1 million). Lundström then transferred many of his assets to his wife's name, [8]declared bankruptcy , and moved to Switzerland, where he became immune to civil lawsuits.

[9]Pirate Bay's neo-Nazi sugar daddy

[10]The Pirate Bay admits links with right-wing benefactor

[11]French National Front woos internet pirates

[12]Pirate Bay co-founder hopes it will die

While one might expect the internet's piracy community to be mourning such a pivotal figure, few have seemingly expressed much in the way of regret. Lundström's political leanings have destroyed his reputation, although at the time of the trial, he garnered a lot of support from some – but not The Register , which covered Lundström's political views in a 2009 report with the memorable headline " [13]Pirate Bay's neo-Nazi sugar daddy ."

In 1985, Lundström was [14]linked to a skinhead gang attacking immigrants in Sweden and was a member of the far-right Bevara Sverige Svenskt party, which campaigned against immigration with slogans like "Låt inte din dotter bli en negerleksak" (Don't let your daughter become a negro toy). He then bankrolled the Progress Party, which campaigned in 1991 under the slogan, "A minority in their own country around the year 2055."

The party merged with the anti-immigration but more mainstream Sweden Democrats, and Lundström then joined its anti-European offshoot, the National Democrats, before being ejected for allegedly being too right wing. He continued to fund anti-immigration groups, including the Swedish Taxpayers' Association, which also campaigned for the abolition of the property tax and the wealth tax.

In 2018, Alternative for Sweden was formed and he joined up, running for office with the party in 2021 under policies advocating the forced repatriation of immigrants, the reintroduction of the death penalty, banning same-sex marriage and adoption, and leaving the EU. He garnered 1.26 percent of the vote.

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While he is revered by some as a founder of The Pirate Bay (which he never was – merely a financier), the actual creative members of the site were never that keen on him, only his resources. In an [16]interview (NSFW language) on Swedish television, The Pirate Bay's spokesperson appeared to express some discomfort with Lundström's support, but said it was better that the money went to them rather than being given to far-right parties. ®

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[1] https://www.euronews.com/2025/03/12/swedish-pirate-bay-backer-carl-lundstrom-dies-in-slovenia-plane-crash

[2] https://alternativforsverige.se/till-minne-av-carl-lundstrom/

[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z9QMU_9jyF4FcyWCI7XZ6QAAAEM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0

[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z9QMU_9jyF4FcyWCI7XZ6QAAAEM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z9QMU_9jyF4FcyWCI7XZ6QAAAEM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z9QMU_9jyF4FcyWCI7XZ6QAAAEM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[7] https://www.theregister.com/2010/11/26/pirate_bay_appeal_verdict/

[8] https://www.theregister.com/2012/09/21/pirate_bay_fascist_bankrupt/

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/26/pirate_bay_neo_nazi/

[10] https://www.theregister.com/2007/05/07/pirate_bay_accepted_right_wing_money/

[11] https://www.theregister.com/2012/02/20/freetards_vote_for_us/

[12] https://www.theregister.com/2010/04/30/pirate_bay_brokep_interview/

[13] https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/26/pirate_bay_neo_nazi/

[14] https://expo-se.translate.goog/nyhet/carl-lundstrom-mangmiljonar-och-hogerextremist/?_x_tr_sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z9QMU_9jyF4FcyWCI7XZ6QAAAEM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg1S9n81ras

[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/