Rabat – Swedish authorities announced that Salwan Momika, Iraqi man who publicly burned the Quran in Sweden, was killed in a shooting on Wednesday night near Stockholm.
Momika staged several public burnings of the Quran in Sweden in 2023, triggering outrage among Muslim communities in the country and across the world.
The 38-year-old man was found dead at this residence in the city of Sodertalje, according to public broadcaster SVT.
DW reported that five people had been arrested in connection to the fatal shooting. The outlet quoted local police as saying that Momila had been “hit by shots and the man was taken to the hospital.”
Momika, who is Christian, received a residence permit in Sweden in 2021. He has since become known for organizing a series of Quran burnings across the country.
He previously justified his actions by citing the mistreatment of Christian minorities in some Muslim countries.
Last year, he was charged with “offenses of agitation against an ethnic or national group” for his actions.
In addition, the Swedish migration agency revoked his residency permit over false information in his original application.
The court where he was due to appear said a verdict has been postponed due to the death of one of the defendants.
There has been a rise in Quran desecration incidents in recent years, mainly in Sweden and Denmark, causing Muslim communities to demand accountability.
In a first in the country’s history, Denmark filed charges against two individuals for desecrating the Quran last week. The incident took place last year, whereby the two suspects mistreated the Quran during the People’s Festival on Bornholm Island and livestreamed it on Facebook.
This marked the first time that Danish authorities invoked laws protecting religious texts.
