Iraqi Quran Burner Shot Dead in Sweden

Momika, an Iraqi refugee was known to be an anti-Islamic figure.

Thu Jan 30 2025
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STOCKHOLM: An Iraqi citizen and anti-Islam campaigner known for publicly burning copies of the Holy Quran, was shot dead in his apartment in Sweden on Wednesday night, state media reported on Thursday.

Salwan Momika, 38, was shot dead hours before he was due to receive a court verdict following a trial over burning the Holy Quran.

“A man in his 40s was found shot in an apartment and rushed to the hospital,” a spokesperson for the Stockholm police said as quoted by the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

Later, the police confirmed his death and launched a murder investigation. Danish authorities have also been briefed about the incident. Police said in a statement that five people had been arrested over the shooting on Thursday.

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Salwan Momika appears outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm —Photo from Social Media/X

Swedish media reported that Momika was streaming live on TikTok at the time he was shot.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters at a press conference: “I can guarantee that the security services are deeply involved in this because there is obviously a risk that there is also a link to foreign power.”

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Salwan Momika, who planned to burn a copy of Holy Quran and the Iraqi flag, is escorted by police to a location outside the Iraqi embassy, in Stockholm, Sweden July 20, 2023. —Photo from Social Media/X

Momika, along with co-protester Salwan Najem, went on to stage several similar protests, in one instance outside Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm — although he refrained from burning it on that occasion.

Momika was granted residency in Sweden in 2021 and became known for organising public burnings of the Holy Quran across the Nordic countries.

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Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Holy Quran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment late last night. The Stockholm District Court confirms that he is deceased. —Photo from Social Media/X

In 2023, Momika and co-protester Salwan Najem were charged multiple times for “agitation against an ethnic or national group” related to their actions in the summer of that year.

“I’m next on the list,” Najem in a post on X said after Momika’s death, telling Swedish media that he had received death threats.

The Swedish Migration Agency revoked Momika’s residency permit, citing false information in his original application. Although he had been living in Sweden since 2018, he left for Norway in March 2024 to seek asylum but was arrested and deported back to Sweden.

ALSO READ : Sweden Charges Activist with Hate Crime Over Holy Quran Burning

Momika carried out the burnings in Sweden and Denmark under the guise of free speech. His controversial actions sparked widespread protests in Muslim-majority countries, including attacks on diplomatic missions.

In response to the backlash, Denmark passed legislation in December 2023 making it illegal to burn copies of the Holy Quran in public places.  Iraq had also requested Momika’s extradition over one of the Holy Quran burnings.

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