• Sweden the world's 10th largest arms exporter

BBC News said Thursday that Sweden's defence minister Sten Tolgfors has resigned after facing criticism over plans to build a weapons plant in Saudi Arabia.

Swedish public radio revealed the confidential plans for the country's Defence Research Agency to help Riyadh build weapons, including missiles and torpedos, in early March.

Sweden does not ban weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, but the secretive nature of the plans caused controversy, BBC said.

"He (Tolgfors) has resigned at his own request," said Roberta Alenius, spokeswoman for Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

Sweden accounts for two percent of world trade in weapons and is the world's tenth largest arms exporter, according to think tank the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).