Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early July 20 and set part of it on fire after a Quran was burnt during a protest in Sweden, CNN reported.
It wasn’t immediately apparent if there was any staff present in the building. The protesters stormed the Swedish embassy’s main gates in the Iraqi capital after police in Stockholm approved a demonstration where organisers are reportedly planning another burning of the Quran, according to CNN.
Social media videos depicted a sizable crowd of demonstrators inside the Swedish Embassy’s perimeter and black smoke and fire emanating from it.
The demonstration, due for July 20, will take place in Sweden only a few weeks after a lone man lit pages of the Quran on fire outside Stockholm’s biggest mosque, sparking condemnation from across the globe.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the burning of Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad, the ministry said in a statement.
“The Iraqi Government has instructed the competent security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and take the necessary security measures in order to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Citing the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, CNN reported that the act is part of a worrying trend of attacks on diplomatic missions and poses a serious security threat.
(with inputs from ANI)
