Qur’an Burner Salwan Momika Found Shot Dead in Sweden

The police have not confirmed the victim's identity. However, reports from the local press suggest that it was Salwan Momika, who was said to have been live streaming on social media during the time of the shooting. Salwan Momika is an Iraqi national residing in Sweden. He came to international headlines for setting alight several copies of the Quran. 

He was killed on Monday night in his apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm, and the report from the AFP and the BBC confirmed his information. The police in Stockholm have confirmed a shooting that left a man in his 40s dead. Five arrests have been made for this crime.

Salwan Momika was charged with "agitation against an ethnic group" about the desecration of the holy Quran several times. The verdict was set for Thursday but has been further postponed to February 3 due to Momika's death.

These incidents have damaged Sweden's relations with several Middle Eastern nations because of Salwan Momika's actions and the harsh responses that followed.

Two protests broke out in 2023, during which the Swedish ambassador was expelled from Baghdad and the Swedish embassy was stormed.

The Swedish government has defended Salwan Momika's right to burn the Quran under regulations of free speech in the country but has vowed to review laws regulating such protests.