Saudi Arabia hands Swedish charge d'affaires in Riyadh note of protest over 'desecration' of Koran -statement

Saudi Arabia on Thursday summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Riyadh and handed them a note of protest over the "desecration" of the Koran, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.

The kingdom also condemned a planned burning of the Koran in Stockholm, the statement added.

Anti-Islam protesters, one of whom is an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden who burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque in June, applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi Embassy on Thursday.