Sweeping backlash ends in tragedy: 'Quran burner' shot dead in Sweden
The man who burned the Quran in 2023, sparking massive protests, was shot in Sweden, reports AFP.
Late on Wednesday evening, a 38-year-old man was shot in Södertälje. Information about the shooting reached Stockholm police after 11 PM.
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 transported to the hospital but died from 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 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 country 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 in fear of a real attack. Meanwhile, Momika continued to provoke and incite through further actions involving the Quran.
