Stockholm, Sweden – Salwan Momika, a 38-year-old Iraqi living in Sweden, who gained international attention for burning copies of the Quran, was shot dead in an apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm, on Wednesday evening, according to reports from AFP and BBC.
Stockholm police confirmed that a man in his 40s was shot dead overnight, and five people were arrested in connection with the killing. While authorities have not officially identified the victim, local media reports indicate that it was Momika, who was reportedly livestreaming on social media at the time of the shooting.
Momika gained notoriety after setting fire to a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023, an act that sparked violent protests and diplomatic tensions, particularly in Muslim-majority countries. Following his actions, unrest erupted at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on two occasions, leading to the expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador amid rising tensions between Sweden and Iraq.
In August 2023, Swedish authorities charged Momika and another individual with “agitation against an ethnic group” on four separate occasions. His verdict was due on Thursday, but the Stockholm District Court postponed the decision following confirmation of his death.
Despite the backlash, the Swedish government initially permitted Momika’s Quran-burning protest, citing freedom of speech laws. However, following international condemnation and security concerns, Swedish authorities later announced that they were exploring legal measures to restrict protests involving the burning of religious texts
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