Salwan Momika, the man who made news in 2023 by burning the Holy Quran outside Sweden's Stockholm Central Mosque was shot dead, authorities confirmed. 38-year-old Salwan Momika was fatally shot in an apartment in Stockholm's Sodertalje area on Wednesday evening.
Quoting Swedish media reports, BBC said that Iraqi-origin Salwan Momika was livestreaming on social media when a group of five trespassers fatally shot him.
Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident that took place around 11 at night. However, the probe team is yet to officially declare the motive behind his killing or the identities of the accused.
The murder came only days ahead of a Swedish court was scheduled to deliver a verdict in the case against Momika, who burnt the Quran with the permission of the State. While Sweden maintained that his protest was in accordance with its free-speech laws, his actions had caused widespread protests in many Muslim nations worldwide.
Salwan Momika had burnt Islam's holy book on several occasions in Sweden in 2023. The protests were triggered after his actions were posted on social media.
The Swedish embassy in Baghdad witnessed two violent protests as a consequence of his actions and Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador over the incident.
However, Sweden later softened its stance and vowed to explore legal means to ban similar protests that involve burning documents or symbols. The nation also revoked Momika's residency permit citing issues with his asylum application. After Iraq asked for his extradition, the controversial activist reportedly tried to shift base to Norway, only to be deported back to Sweden.
Some reports claimed that Salwan Momika reached European shores in an effort to escape several legal repercussions back in his homeland.