Controversial Quran Protester Fatally Shot in Sweden

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi man known for his public burnings of the Quran in Sweden in 2023, was reported dead following a shooting incident near Stockholm. His actions had prompted international criticism and domestic legal action. A Stockholm court postponed a verdict in a related hate-speech case due to his death.

Salwan Momika, the Iraqi figure behind the controversial Quran burnings in Sweden, has been found dead following a shooting incident in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, according to judicial sources.

The actions of Momika, aged 38, attracted widespread international attention in 2023, provoking anger in numerous Muslim-majority countries. The Stockholm court had scheduled a verdict in a hate speech trial against Momika and a co-defendant but postponed it given the circumstances.

While law enforcement has initiated a murder investigation, multiple arrests have been made in connection to the shooting. Momika, who migrated to Sweden from Iraq in 2018 and was a residence permit holder, claimed his demonstrations targeted the religion of Islam under the aegis of free speech, sanctioned by Swedish police.

(With inputs from agencies.)