Fox News' Swedish adviser on violent immigrants was convicted of assault in the US

A Swedish "expert" who appeared on Fox News to discuss immigrant violence has a conviction for violent crime in the US.

Nils Bildt was described as a "Swedish defense and national security advisor" when he appeared as a guest on the TV station to speak about the perceived problems of his native country which Donald Trump referred to at a rally in Florida.

But it has emerged that Mr Bildt, himself an immigrant in the US, was arrested in June 2014 for assault and battery against a law enforcement officer, obstruction of justice and public inebriation after threatening an official.

He was charged under the name Tolling, which he later changed to Bildt.

Sweden's government also said he holds no official position with them.

On TV, the billionaire claimed the Scandinavian country recently experienced a terror attack, a claim which later turned out to be false.

Donald Trump later tweeted to say his statement was based on a news report on Fox News, who continued the debate around the Scandinavian country by hosting Mr Bildt.

The Swede described his homeland negatively, backing up Mr Trump’s own portrayal of the country.

But Marie Pisäter, of the Swedish Defense Ministry, said no one by the name Nils Bildt was employed by them.

“We have no spokesman by that name,” she said.

And the Foreign Office was similarly stumped, with a spokesman telling Dagens Nyhether (DN): “We do not know who he is.”

It emerged Mr Bildt – who spoke about crime in Sweden – is in fact a convict himself.

Documents from Arlington General District Court in Virginia, show Mr Bildt – under his former surname - was sentenced to a year behind bars, of which 11 months were suspended, in November 2014. He was also fined $111 (£89), which is recorded as paid.

Mr Bildt, who is said to have emigrated to the US in 1994, denied all knowledge of the convictions to DN.

Despite the publicly available information he said he was “unaware of the allegations”.

When pressed over his supposed role, the Swede said: “I appeared on Bill O'Reillys's show on Fox News.

“The title was chosen by Fox News's editor – I had no personal control over what title they chose.

“I am an independent analyst based in the USA.”