Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden known for repeatedly burning the Quran in Sweden during 2023 protests, was fatally shot in Södertälje.
Police confirmed a murder investigation following the shooting, which reportedly occurred indoors and may have been livestreamed. The incident comes as a Stockholm court was due to rule on whether Momika was guilty of inciting ethnic hatred.
Momika, along with Salwan Najem, faced charges for desecrating the Quran while making derogatory remarks about Muslims, including outside a Stockholm mosque.
Their protests strained Sweden’s relations with Muslim-majority countries, leading to embassy attacks in Baghdad and increased national security threats.
Despite Sweden’s constitutional protection of free speech, burning religious texts can be prosecuted as “agitation against an ethnic group” depending on context. The Swedish government condemned the desecrations while emphasizing freedom of expression.
