From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!
Thursday, January 30, 2025
On Thursday morning, Swedish prosecutors told the BBC that Iraqi Counter-jihad activist Salwan Momika, 38, was shot to death in his apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm, Sweden during the overnight hours of Wednesday. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.
Local media told the news source Reuters that Momika was live streaming on TikTok at the time of the shooting.
Momika gained recognition when he burned a Quran in 2023 in front of Stockholm Central Mosque as a form of protest. This occured on what is considered to be a holy day in Islamic culture. His actions sparked reactions of extreme anger from religious groups.
Consequently, he had been charged with “agitation against an ethnic group” on four separate occasions in 2023.
Momika was killed just hours before a court was to deliver a verdict on the case, and he was actually scheduled to appear in court for the incident the following day, on Thursday.
The Swedish government gave him permission to peacefully protest as he was in compliance with the countries free speech laws. However, they later changed their stance, saying they may “explore means” to make it so you can still get in trouble for burning religious holy texts “under certain circumstances.”
The death remained under investigation. Five people were said to have been apprehended in connection to Momika’s death. Athourities suggested the crime could have possibly been committed by a foreign entity. Hence, Sweden’s security services were brought into the fore.
