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Salwan Momika, Infamous Quran Burner, Shot Dead in Sweden’s Södertälje

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Salwan Momika, the Iraqi refugee infamous for burning copies of the Quran, was shot dead in his apartment in the Swedish city of Södertälje on Wednesday night.

According to Swedish media, police responded to reports of a shooting in the Hovsjö district, where they found Momika critically injured. He was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his gunshot wounds. The attack was reportedly caught on video, as Momika had started a live-stream moments before the shooting.

Authorities have detained five suspects for questioning in connection with what police described as an “execution.”

Momika, 38, gained international attention in 2023 when he desecrated the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque during Eid al-Adha, sparking widespread outrage across the Muslim world. He had faced multiple legal complaints, including charges of “agitation against an ethnic group.” He was scheduled to appear in a Stockholm court on Thursday, but the ruling was postponed due to his death.

Originally from Iraq’s Al-Hamdaniya district, Momika fled to Sweden years ago after reported disputes with local political and militia groups. He had been involved with a Christian militia in Iraq and later worked with a far-right Swedish party advocating for the deportation of Arab migrants.

His actions had strained Sweden’s relations with the Middle East, leading to diplomatic protests and heightened security concerns. In response to the Quran burnings, Sweden’s intelligence service raised the national terror threat level in August 2023.

Despite international condemnation, Swedish authorities upheld Momika’s right to protest under free speech laws. However, his presence in the country remained controversial, with Iraq previously requesting his extradition in 2013—a request Sweden denied.

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