Who was Salwan Momika? Iraqi man, who burnt Quran, dies in shooting in Sweden

Salwan Momika, the man who burnt Quran in Sweden, died in shooting near capital Stockholm. The Swedish media reports that Momika came to Sweden from Iraq in 2018 and was granted a three-year residence permit in 2021.

Salwan Momika, the Iraqi man, responsible for carrying out several Quran burnings in Sweden died in a shooting near Stockholm, the Swedish media reports. The Stockholm District Court said that a verdict, which was scheduled for Thursday in a trial in which Momika was a defendant, was postponed since one of the defendants had died. Göran Lundahl, a judge at the court, confirmed that the person who died was Momika. However, he said he did not have any other information about Momika's death. 

Momika came to Sweden from Iraq in 2018 

According to Swedish media, Momika came to Sweden from Iraq in 2018 and was granted a three-year residence permit in 2021. Momika's videos of Quran burnings got worldwide publicity, which attracted anger and criticism in several Muslim nations. Momika's demonstrations also led to riots and unrest in many places. In 2023, Momika was behind several anti-Islam demonstrations. 

The police said that after they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night in Sodertalje, a locality near Stockholm, they found a man with gunshot wounds, who died later. 

Momika argued that his protests targeted the religion of Islam, not Muslim people

In his arguments, Momika earlier underscored that his protests targeted the religion of Islam, not Muslim people. He added that he wanted to protect the people of Sweden from the messages of the Quran. Notably, Swedish people allowed his protests, citing freedom of speech, while filing charges against him.

Momika and a co-defendant were facing charges of incitement to racial hatred because of statements they made in connection with the Quran burnings. Both were supposed to be handed over on Thursday.

(With inputs from AP)

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