Iraqi Refugee in Sweden Who Burned Quran Killed

Silvan Momika, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden who burned a copy of the Quran last year in front of the largest mosque in Stockholm, was shot dead on Thursday, January 31, just hours before a court was set to announce his verdict for the Quran burning. In connection with this, five suspects have been arrested for Momika's murder. He was shot in a house in Södertälje, near Stockholm. The Stockholm court was supposed to convict Momika and another man in a criminal trial for 'incitement against an ethnic or national group,' but announced that the verdict has been postponed. The controversial Quran burning was organized by Silvan Momika in September 2023 in Malmö, a city with a large immigrant population. According to Swedish state television, about two hundred people attended the event. The Swedish police stated at the time that some spectators expressed disturbing emotions after Momika burned the Quran, leading to 'violent disturbances.' The Swedish government condemned the Quran burning while also referencing laws on freedom of speech and assembly. Momika, 37, had previously burned a copy of the Quran in front of the largest mosque in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Earlier, Denmark, Sweden's neighboring country, which has seen several Quran burnings, announced that it would ban the burning of the Quran. In relation to the Quran burning in Europe, Iran summoned the chargé d'affaires of Sweden and Denmark separately. The level of 'terrorism alert' increased in Sweden, and several people were arrested.