Salwan Momika, Quran-burning provocateur, shot dead during live stream in Sweden

Momika's death occurred just hours before a verdict was scheduled to be delivered in a case of inciting hatred against Muslims and actions of Quran burnings.

A controversial self-proclaimed “anti-Islam activist” Salwan Momika was reportedly shot dead in Sweden’s Hovsjo district on Wednesday night, January 29.

The 38-year-old Iraqi Christian migrant who gained notoriety after publicly burning copies of the Quran was shot inside his apartment in Södertälje. Reports suggest that the fatal shooting took place when Momika was streaming live on TikTok but local authorities have not officially confirmed this information.

The Stockholm region police arrived at the apartment building at 11 pm, local time, after receiving reports of the shooting. Authorities cordoned off the area and several investigative teams were deployed at the incident scene. The drones have also been sent up over the area.

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Several media outlets including Sweden’s public television broadcaster SVT News and Swedish website Krimfup.se have verified the deceased to be Salwan Momika. However, the authorities have refrained from releasing an official statement about the victim’s identity. Reports indicate gunshot wounds resulted in his death.

The motive behind his reported shooting remains unclear yet, but many believe that Momika’s past controversial action led to his targeted killing.

According to reports Momika’s death occurred just hours before a verdict was scheduled to be delivered in a case related to inciting hatred against Muslims and acts of Quran burning.

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“I can confirm that five people have been arrested, suspected of murder,” prosecutor Rasmus Ohman was quoted as saying by Sweden’s leading daily Dagens Nyheter.

Meanwhile, a close friend of a friend of Salwan Momika named Salwan Najem told SVT News channel “The police have been questioning him and they confirmed that he has died”.

Najem claimed that he was also threatened and told “You are next”. He said had also spoken during the night with Momika’s girlfriend. “She started crying and said they killed him,” Najem told SVT.

Notably, Najem was also facing charges of inciting hatred against the Muslim community and was scheduled to present before the Stockholm court alongside Momika.

Salwan Momika’s controversial past

Since June 28, 2023, 37-year-old Salwan Momika desecrated several copies of the Quran in front of embassies of Muslim-majority countries and mosques in Sweden under police protection.

Momika’s video of burning the Quran sparked international outrage, causing riots and instability in Muslim countries, prompting Sweden to investigate him for allegedly inciting ethnic groups.

He recently relocated from Sweden to Norway, seeking asylum there.

“Today I left Sweden and am now in Norway under the protection of the Norwegian authorities,” Momika posted on X on March 27.

“I applied for asylum and international protection in Norway because Sweden does not accept asylum for philosophers and thinkers, but only accepts asylum for terrorists. My love and respect for the Swedish people will remain the same, but the persecution I was subjected to by the Swedish authorities does not represent the Swedes,” he added.

In another post on X, Momika wrote, “If you are waiting for me to raise the flag of surrender, then you are wrong. This will not happen even in your dreams, and I will continue the struggle as long as I live.”

Swedish radio station Ekot reported on February 7, 2024, that the Migration Court rejected the appeal filed by Momika last year and approved the migration agency’s decision to deport him from the country.

The court ruled that Momika provided false information about his residence permit application, leading to his deportation order, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

On October 26, 2023, the migration agency decided to deport Momika but the order could not be implemented due to concerns over alleged torture and inhumane treatment in Iraq. However, he was granted a temporary residence permit.

He obtained a permanent residence permit in Sweden in 2021, which was withdrawn and he was granted temporary residency until April 2024.

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