Sweden: Five arrested after man who burned Quran shot dead

Police in Sweden have reportedly arrested five people after a man who repeatedly burnt the Quran was shot dead. The 2023 book burnings sparked outrage in Muslim countries.

Swedish police on Thursday five people had been arrested over the fatal shooting of an Iraqi man who carried out several Quran burnings.

The man had been due to attend Stockholm District Court later in the day for the verdict in a case over "offenses of agitation against an ethnic or national group."

The 38-year-old Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi, staged several desecrations and burnings of Islam's holy book.

The court said a verdict in which Momika was a defendant had been postponed because one of the defendants had died

The incident occurred indoors and when police arrived they found a man who had been "hit by shots and the man was taken to the hospital," the statement said.

Police later said they had made several arrests in connection with the shooting.

"Police arrested five people overnight. Prosecutors have detained them," a police statement said.

This is a developing story that will be updated...

rc/wd (AFP, AP)