Salwan Momika: Man Who Burned Quran, Shot Dead In Sweden

Salwan Momika, the man who sparked global outrage in 2023 after burning a copy of the Quran, has been shot and killed in Sweden.

Authorities confirmed that Salwan Momika was fatally shot in an apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm, on Wednesday night.

According to police, officers responded to reports of gunfire around 11:11 p.m. local time and found a man in his 40s with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital but later died.

Local reports suggest Momika was livestreaming on social media around the time of the attack. Police have arrested five people in connection with the incident but have not released further details.

Momika, an Iraqi living in Sweden, became widely known after he burned a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023, leading to violent protests in several Muslim-majority countries.

His actions also triggered diplomatic tensions, with Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad being attacked twice and its ambassador expelled.

He was facing charges of “agitation against an ethnic group” for multiple similar demonstrations and was due to receive a verdict on Thursday.

However, the court postponed the ruling after confirming his death.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that national security agencies were involved in the investigation due to concerns over possible foreign involvement.

Although Swedish law permitted Momika’s protest under free speech protections, the backlash led the government to consider restrictions on burning religious texts in certain situations.

KanyiDaily recalls that in 2023, protesters razed the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, after Salwan Momika burned pages of the Quran outside Stockholm’s main mosque.