by Admin
Jan 30, 2025
Salwan Momika, the man who ignited violent protests after burning the Quran, has been shot dead in Sweden. Prosecutors confirmed that the incident occurred on Wednesday evening in an apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm.
Monika gained international notoriety after setting fire to a Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023, which triggered unrest both in Sweden and abroad. Following the shooting, Stockholm police reported that five individuals had been arrested in connection with the killing of a man in his 40s.
Authorities responded to reports of a suspected shooting at an apartment in Hovsjö at 23:11 am on Wednesday.
The victim, who was later identified by media as Momika, was found with gunshot wounds and rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning. Reports indicate that he had been livestreaming on social media around the time of the attack.
An Iraqi national residing in Sweden, Momika had been charged in August 2023 alongside another individual for “agitation against an ethnic group” on four occasions. His verdict was expected on Thursday but was postponed after Stockholm District Court confirmed his death.
Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish Prime Minister stated that the country’s security services were involved in the investigation, citing concerns over possible links to foreign powers.
Momika’s anti-Islam demonstrations sparked outrage across Muslim-majority nations, leading to unrest at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on two occasions. The diplomatic fallout also resulted in the expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador from Iraq.
Although Swedish authorities had granted him permission for his Quran-burning protest under the country’s free speech laws, the incident prompted the government to explore legal measures to restrict demonstrations involving the desecration of religious texts under certain circumstances.