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Salwan Momika, the Iraqi national who ignited global controversy after burning the Quran in Sweden, has been shot dead in an apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm. Swedish prosecutors confirmed his death on Thursday, February 1, following a shooting incident late Wednesday night.
According to Stockholm police, officers were called to an apartment in the Hovsjö district at 23:11 local time (22:11 GMT) after reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, they found a man in his 40s with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Although police have not officially named the victim, local media widely reported that the deceased was Salwan Momika. Reports also suggest that Momika was livestreaming on social media around the time of the attack.
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Authorities have arrested five people in connection with the shooting, but the motive behind the killing remains unclear. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that national security services are involved in the investigation due to concerns about possible foreign influence.
“There is obviously a risk that there were links to foreign powers,” Kristersson told Swedish broadcaster SVT.
Momika’s actions had drawn widespread condemnation from Muslim-majority countries, particularly after he set fire to a Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023. His protests led to violent demonstrations, diplomatic tensions, and attacks on Swedish diplomatic missions abroad.
In August 2023, Swedish authorities charged Momika and one other individual with “agitation against an ethnic group” on four occasions that summer. His trial had been ongoing, and a verdict was scheduled to be delivered on Thursday, February 1. However, Stockholm District Court announced that the ruling was postponed after confirming his death.
Swedish police had originally granted legal permission for Momika’s Quran-burning protests under the country’s freedom of speech laws. However, the incidents triggered widespread diplomatic fallout, with protests in multiple countries, including Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan.
In response, the Swedish government pledged to explore legal measures to restrict protests involving the burning of religious texts under specific circumstances.
The killing of Salwan Momika has raised questions about whether his death was politically or religiously motivated, or if it was linked to other personal disputes. With the involvement of Sweden’s security services, investigators will be scrutinising any potential connections to international actors or extremist groups.
For now, Swedish authorities continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the mysterious and high-profile killing that has once again placed Sweden at the centre of an international debate on free speech, religious respect, and national security.
source: bbc
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