Salwan Momika, a 38-year-old Iraqi refugee known for staging Quran-burning protests in Sweden, was shot dead late January 29, in the town of Sodertalje, near Stockholm. The incident occurred just hours before he was due to receive a court verdict in a case related to “offenses of agitation against an ethnic or national group.”
Swedish police confirmed that five individuals had been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting and had been detained by prosecutors. However, authorities have not disclosed whether the actual shooter is among those apprehended.
According to reports from Swedish public broadcaster SVT, citing police sources, Momika was shot inside a house in Sodertalje. Police responded to the incident and found him with gunshot wounds before he was transported to the hospital. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries.
Swedish media reported that Momika was live-streaming on TikTok at the time of the attack. A video seen by media showed officers picking up a phone and terminating a livestream believed to be from his account. “We’re in the very early stages of the investigation,” said Prosecutor Rasmus Oman, speaking to AFP. “There’s a lot of information gathering at this point.”
Momika, a Christian Iraqi, became widely known for his public desecration and burning of the Quran in 2023. His demonstrations, which often included inflammatory remarks about Islam and Muslims, sparked international outrage and severely strained Sweden’s relations with several Middle Eastern nations.
The Stockholm District Court had been set to announce its verdict on January 30 in a case against Momika and co-protester Salwan Najem. The pair faced charges of “agitation against an ethnic group” for multiple Quran-burning protests, including one staged outside a Stockholm mosque.
Following the news of Momika’s death, the court postponed the verdict. Najem, the second defendant in the case, posted a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating: “I’m next.”
The Quran burnings carried out by Momika and Najem triggered massive protests in Iraq, where demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023. During the second incident, protesters set fires within the compound. The fallout from these acts led Sweden’s intelligence service, SÄPO, to raise its terror threat level to four on a scale of five in August 2023, identifying the country as a “prioritised target” for extremist attacks.
While the Swedish government condemned the Quran burnings, authorities initially permitted such demonstrations under the country’s strong free speech laws. However, they later took legal action against Momika and his associates, citing the incitement of hatred.
Sweden’s migration agency attempted to deport Momika in 2023, accusing him of providing false information on his residency application. However, the effort was unsuccessful as authorities determined that he would face torture or inhumane treatment if sent back to Iraq.
Momika also sought asylum in Norway in March 2024, but Norwegian authorities deported him back to Sweden after several weeks.
The Swedish Security Service has stated that it is closely monitoring the case, assessing its potential impact on national security. However, local police are leading the investigation. “We are following the development of events closely to see what impact this may have on Swedish security,” a Security Service spokesperson told media.
