Iraqi Refugee Who Burned Quran Killed in Sweden, Five Arrested

STOCKHOLM – An Iraqi refugee who sparked international outrage by repeatedly burning the Quran in Sweden was shot dead on Wednesday, just hours before a court was due to rule on his case.

Swedish police said on Thursday that they had arrested five suspects in connection with the killing of 38-year-old Salwan Momika, who was fatally shot inside a house in Södertälje, a town south of Stockholm.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive, but Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) was involved in the investigation due to the possibility of foreign interference.

“I can assure you that the security services are deeply involved because there is obviously a risk that there is a connection to a foreign power,” Kristersson told a news conference.

Sweden’s Vice Prime Minister Ebba Busch condemned the killing, calling it “a threat to our free democracy.”

“It must be met with the full force of our society,” she wrote on social media platform X.

Court Delays Verdict

Momika and co-defendant Salwan Najem had been facing trial for “agitation against an ethnic or national group” after staging anti-Islam demonstrations in 2023, in which they burned and desecrated the Quran while making derogatory remarks about Muslims.

The Stockholm District Court, which was set to rule on the case on Thursday, postponed its verdict to February 3 following Momika’s death.

Sweden has seen a rise in diplomatic tensions and security threats over a series of Quran burnings last year, which triggered widespread protests in the Middle East and condemnation from Muslim-majority countries.

Authorities have since tightened laws, making it more difficult to obtain permits for such demonstrations, citing national security concerns.

---

---

---

Follow us on

---

(We don't allow anyone to copy content. For Copyright or Use of Content related questions, visit here.)