(Stockholm) – A man known for publicly burning copies of the Quran in Sweden has been shot dead in his apartment in the town of Södertälje, south of Stockholm. The incident occurred during a live broadcast on TikTok, with police confirming that he died from a gunshot wound.
Swedish authorities identified the victim as 38-year-old Salvan Momika, who had previously drawn significant attention for staging Quran-burning protests in various locations across Sweden, including Malmö. His actions had led to accusations of inciting racial hatred.
According to police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl, officers responded to the scene on Wednesday evening and found Momika with a fatal gunshot wound. Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Swedish media first reported his identity, though police have not officially confirmed his name. The authorities have launched an investigation into the shooting and are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Momika, originally from Iraq, was raised in a Christian Assyrian community. During the late 2000s, when the Islamic State was persecuting Christians, he served as a security guard for the pro-Christian Assyrian Patriotic Party in Mosul. Following a dispute with his group’s leadership, he fled Iraq and eventually moved to Germany in 2017. He later relocated to Sweden, where he was granted a temporary residence permit in 2021.
Early in his time in Sweden, Momika was convicted of threatening a man with a knife. More recently, his Quran-burning demonstrations had caused widespread controversy and provoked strong reactions both domestically and internationally.
Authorities have not disclosed any potential suspects or motives behind the shooting. Investigators are examining whether the attack was linked to his controversial protests or if there were other underlying factors.
