A CHRISTIAN protester who burned the Koran was brutally shot dead during a livestream on TikTok.
Iraqi Salwan Momika, 38, had sparked fury across Muslim countries for staging several burnings of the Koran in Sweden.
AFPHis protests had sparked outrage across Muslims[/caption]
AFPSalwan Momika protesting outside a mosque in Stockholm[/caption]
AFPPolice responded to reports of a shooting at an apartment block in Soedertaelje, south of Stockholm[/caption]
He was shot in the city of Sodertalje on Wednesday night, according to Swedish media.
A Stockholm court had been due to rule today whether Momika, a Christian Iraqi, was guilty of inciting ethnic hatred but said it had postponed its ruling until February 3 as a result of his death.
Momika alongside with co-protester Salwan Najem, was charged with “agitation against an ethnic group” on four occasions in the summer of 2023.
According to the charge sheet, the duo desecrated the Koran, including burning it, while making derogatory remarks about Muslims.
Najem posted a message on X, saying: “I’m next“.
Investigators confirmed a murder probe into the death of 38-year-old Salwan Momika has been launched adding that five people have been arrested.
Prosecutor Rasmus Oman said: “We’re in the very early stages … there’s a lot of information gathering.
“Five people have been detained suspected of involvement in the crime.”
Police said they rushed to the scene at an apartment building in the city of Sodertalje, following reports of a shooting.
They found a man who had been “hit by shots and the man was taken to hospital” but later died.
The execution was said to be livestreamed on social media and the attacker had gained entry into the building through the roof, Aftonbladet reported.
Momika who had lived in Sweden since 2018, sparked outrage among Muslims across the world when he set a Koran on fire outside Stockholm’s main mosque in June 2023.
Speaking to newspaper Aftonbladet at the time he stressed that he never intended his Koran burnings to cause Sweden any trouble.
“I don’t want to harm this country that received me and preserved my dignity,” he said.
He later repeated his stunt and burned the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.
As a result he received a series of threats.
While the Swedish government condemned the wave of Koran burnings in 2023, it was initially regarded as a protected form of free speech.
Sweden‘s migration agency in 2023 wanted to deport Momika for giving false information on his residency application, but couldn’t as he risked torture and inhumane treatment in Iraq.
In March 2024, he left Sweden to seek asylum in Norway but he was deported back to Sweden several weeks later.
APProtestor Salwan Momika outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm[/caption]
EPASwedish cops after a shooting in Hovsjo in Sodertalje south of Stockholm[/caption]
EPASalwan Momika had reportedly received death threats[/caption]
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.