Man Who Burned Quran, Sparked Anti-Islam Protests Shot Dead While Live On TikTok! News24 –

Salwan Momika, the Iraqi national infamous for burning the Quran in Sweden, has reportedly been shot dead. His killing comes amid the Stockholm district court’s postponed verdict in a case where he was a defendant. The verdict was supposed to be out on Thursday.

According to local media reports, Salwan Momika, 38, is reported to have been shot inside his apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm during a live TikTok video. The police reached the spot after receiving the information of a shootout at around 11 pm on Wednesday night. Stockholm police said in a statement that five people had been arrested after a man in his 40s was shot dead overnight.

The reason for the alleged attack on Momika is still unknown. Unverified reports say that he was under the target for Quran desecration in Sweden. He also had received death threats from Islam radiclas fro burning the Quran in public view under police presence.

What Happened In 2023?

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi national living in Sweden, sparked widespread unrest after setting fire to a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023. His anti-Islam demonstrations triggered outrage across several Muslim-majority countries and led to violent protests, including two incidents at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. In response, Iraq expelled Sweden’s ambassador amid a deepening diplomatic crisis.

Momika, along with another individual, was charged in August 2023 with “agitation against an ethnic group” on four occasions that summer. The Stockholm District Court was set to deliver a verdict on Thursday but postponed the decision after confirming that one of the defendants had died.

Despite the controversy, Swedish authorities had initially permitted Momika’s protest under the country’s free-speech laws. However, the government later pledged to explore legal measures to restrict protests involving the burning of religious texts under certain circumstances.

The Swedish Migration Agency ruled to expel Salwan Momika from the country. However, concerns for his safety in Iraq prevented the expulsion, leading to a temporary residence permit valid until April 2024.

Momika’s journey began in Al-Hamdaniya, a district in Qaraqosh, located in Iraq’s Nineveh province. Born into an Assyrian Catholic family, he grew up in a community that faced immense challenges. During the violent sectarian conflict between 2006 and 2008, when Christian minorities were targeted by extremist groups, he aligned himself with the Assyrian Patriotic Party. Serving as a security guard at its Mosul headquarters, he navigated a dangerous landscape, witnessing firsthand the impact of religious and political tensions in his homeland.

Salwan Momika and a co-defendant were charged in a Stockholm court with incitement to racial hatred because of comments made about the Quran burnings. A verdict was expected on Thursday morning.

The Swedish Migration Agency decided in 2023 to expel Momika from the country. However, due to threats against him in Iraq, the expulsion was not carried out, and he was granted a new temporary residence permit valid until April 2024.

Who Was Salwan Momika?

Salwan Momika, from the Al-Hamdaniya district of Qaraqosh in northern Iraq’s Nineveh province, was raised as an Assyrian Catholic. During the 2006-2008 civil war when Islamic State persecuted Christians, he joined the Assyrian Patriotic Party. Later he served as a security guard at its Mosul headquarters.

In 2017, Momika traveled to Germany on a Schengen visa, where he openly renounced Christianity and identified as an atheist. He later sought asylum in Sweden in April 2018 and was officially registered as an Iraqi refugee.

In 2017, Momika fled to Germany with a Schengen visa, where he publicly renounced Christianity and declared his atheism. He applied for asylum in Sweden in April 2018 and was registered as an Iraqi refugee.

In April 2021, he was granted a three-year temporary residence permit, valid until April 2024. But his application for permanent residence, necessary for Swedish citizenship, was denied by the authority due to discrepancies in his asylum application. It included his false claim about his involvement with the Imam Ali Brigades.

During his time in Sweden, Momika was spotted alongside Christian Democrat MP Robert Halef and also met with Sweden Democrats’ Julia Kronlid. He later voiced his ambition to run for a seat in the Riksdag as a candidate for the Sweden Democrats.