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Sweden: Salwan Momika, the Iraqi author of public Koran burnings, is shot dead

Five people have been arrested and according to several media, the man was making a live video on social networks and it is possible that his murder was filmed. A Stockholm court was about to rule on a trial against him for incitement to hatred.

Salwan Momika at a demonstration.AFP.

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Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian settled in Sweden who repeatedly burned copies of the Quran - Islam's holy book - in 2023 and thereby sparked protests in Muslim countries, was shot dead in Stockholm, Sweden's capital.

Police reported shortly afterward that five suspects had been arrested.

A Stockholm court was due to determine Thursday whether Momika was guilty of incitement to racial hatred. The court postponed the verdict to Feb. 3 "following confirmation of Mr. Momika's death."

Police said in a statement that they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night in Sodertalje, on the outskirts of Stockholm, where Momika lived.

When officers arrived, they found a man shot who was taken to hospital. Subsequently, Police announced that the individual died and that they have opened an investigation.

According to several media outlets, Momika was making a live video on social media and it is possible that his murder was filmed.

In August, Momika was charged, along with an associate of his, Salwan Najem, with "agitation against an ethnic group" on four occasions during the summer of 2023.

According to the indictment, the duo desecrated the Quran, even burning it, while making derogatory remarks about Muslims.

Relations between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries were affected by the two men's protests.

Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023, setting a fire inside the delegation compound.

In August that year, the Swedish intelligence service raised the threat level to four on a scale of five, saying the Koran burnings made the country a "priority target."

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