Iraqi Quran burner Salwan Momika shot dead in Sweden

Salwan Momika, the Iraqi refugee infamous for burning the Quran, was shot dead in his apartment in the Swedish city of Sodertalje on Thursday, local media reported.

According to local media, Swedish authorities attended the scene after receiving information of a shootout at around midnight on Wednesday and were looking for the attacker. 

“A man was found shot in a home in Hovsjo in Sodertalje late on Wednesday … It is 38-year-old Salwan Momika, who has died from gunshot wounds,” Swedish state broadcaster SVT said.

Stockholm police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl said that five suspects had been taken into police custody for questioning in connection with the brutal “execution”.

The 38-year-old militia leader was due to appear today before a Stockholm court accused of inciting ethnic hatred. 

Momika, from Al-Hamdaniya District, east of Mosul, stomped on the Islamic holy book and set several pages alight in front of the Swedish capital’s largest mosque on 30 June.

He sparked widespread outrage after standing outside a mosque in Stockholm desecrating the religious book and the second outside the Iraqi embassy. 

Momika has received death threats after setting alight a copy of the Quran twice in 2023 as a protest against Islam. 

Religious leaders across the Middle East and Europe condemned the acts and popular protests were held across Iraq at the time. 

Despite the outrage, Swedish police granted him a permit for the protest in line with free-speech protections in the country.

He fled to Sweden several years ago, after being charged with several legal complaints, including deception.

This is a developing story.