An Iraqi refugee was fatally shot in his apartment during a live video broadcast.
Swedish media outlets reported the death of Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee known for publicly burning copies of the Quran, in his Sodertalje apartment. The incident occurred on Wednesday, a day before his scheduled court appearance on hate speech charges.
Momika, who arrived in Sweden in 2018, gained international notoriety in 2023 for several Quran-burning protests, triggering protests in numerous Muslim-majority countries and escalating diplomatic tensions between Sweden and Iraq, Turkey, and Pakistan. Following these actions, the Iraqi government sought his extradition, and Swedish authorities initiated deportation proceedings, although these were incomplete.
The 38-year-old was reportedly live-streaming on TikTok when the attack happened. Swedish police have apprehended five individuals in connection with the killing but haven’t revealed their identities or motives. The investigation aims to establish whether the shooting had political or religious motivations.
As reported, Momika was due in court Thursday for sentencing on charges of incitement against an ethnic group related to four Quran burnings.
“Given that a defendant has passed away, the sentence must be adjusted to reflect the impossibility of sentencing a deceased individual,” the Stockholm District Court stated.
Fellow defendant Salwan Najem reacted to Momika’s death by expressing concern for his own safety on X, stating, “I’m next.”
Several individuals in Europe have faced attacks or death after publicly criticizing Islam in recent years. In 2020, French teacher Samuel Paty was murdered after showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class. Later that year, a knife attack at a Nice church killed three. In 2015, a terrorist attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris resulted in twelve deaths following the publication of satirical depictions of Muhammad.