An Iraqi man who burned copies of the Koran in Sweden has been killed in a taking pictures, Swedish authorities say.
Swedish police stated Salwan Momika was shot lifeless in a home in Sodertalje, a city close to Stockholm, on Wednesday, hours earlier than a courtroom verdict was due in a trial in connection together with his burning of the Koran.
5 folks have been been arrested, however police didn’t say whether or not the gunman was amongst these detained.
Mr Momika, a refugee and anti-Islam campaigner, staged a number of desecrations of Islam’s holy e book in public or in social media broadcasts in 2023.
Worldwide publicity of the burnings brought on widespread anger and criticism, in addition to riots in Sweden and quite a few Muslim international locations.
Sweden’s prime minister has expressed concern the taking pictures could also be linked to a international energy.
A courtroom in Stockholm had been resulting from sentence Mr Momika, 38, and one other man on Thursday over “offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group,” in reference to the Koran burnings.
The courtroom stated the decision was postponed as a result of one of many defendants had died.
Choose Goran Lundahl and courtroom paperwork confirmed Mr Momika was the deceased.
In the meantime, police stated they have been alerted to a taking pictures in Sodertalje on Wednesday evening.
Officers discovered a person with gunshot wounds, who later died. A preliminary homicide investigation was opened.
The 38-year-old was streaming reside on TikTok on the time he was shot, native media has reported.
In 2023, Sweden raised its terrorism menace to the second-highest stage after Koran burnings, a lot of them by Mr Momika, triggered threats from jihadists.
Burning the Koran is seen by Muslims as a blasphemous act as a result of they contemplate it the literal phrase of God.