NewsGunman shoots Quran-burning provocateur in Sweden tragedy

Gunman shoots Quran-burning provocateur in Sweden tragedy

The man who burned the Quran in 2023, sparking massive protests, was shot in Sweden, reports AFP.

Set fire to the Quran in Sweden. Was shot dead.
Set fire to the Quran in Sweden. Was shot dead.
Images source: © East News, X
Kamila Gurgul

Late on Wednesday evening, a 38-year-old man was shot in Södertälje. Information about the shooting reached Stockholm police after 10 PM Greenwich Mean Time.

According to police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl, the shooting took place in a residential area in the Hovsjö district. As reported by the portal Krimfup.se, the man was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

The 38-year-old is Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee who destroyed a Quran near a mosque in Stockholm. According to Swedish police, it is being investigated whether parts of the events might have been streamed live on social media. "We have received such a report and are investigating the matter," said police spokesperson Nadya Norton.

He burned the Quran. Who is Momika?

Salwan Momika declared himself a staunch Christian who was fighting against Islam. He claimed that the Quran should be banned. The 37-year-old from Iraq founded a party in 2014, but after an unsuccessful power struggle, he left the country and fled to Europe. He received a temporary residence permit in Sweden, and a few years later, he brought upon the Nordic nation the wrath of Muslims from all over the world.

Near a mosque in Stockholm, the provocateur stepped on the Quran and then set a few pages on fire. This sparked a wave of protests.

This led to Sweden, which had maintained a level 3 terror threat since 2016, having to raise the alert level out of fear of an actual attack. Meanwhile, Momika continued to provoke and incite through further actions involving the Quran.

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