Quran burner Salwan Momika shot and killed during TikTok live stream in Sweden

Salwan Momika, the Iraqi citizen who gained international attention for burning copies of the Quran in Sweden in 2023, has been shot dead, Swedish media reported Thursday.

The police confirmed a man was killed in a shooting on Wednesday, but the identity of the assailant has not yet been revealed.

According to local reports, the 38-year-old Momika was shot at an apartment in Sodertalje, a town near Stockholm, while streaming live on TikTok. Authorities were alerted to the incident and found Momika’s lifeless body at the scene. The police have launched an operation to apprehend the suspect.

Momika, along with Salwan Najem, was facing charges of inciting ethnic hatred after burning the Quran in several protests across Sweden. Their trial began on Jan. 16, with the Swedish District Court stating that both men were accused of committing hate crimes by burning the Quran in four separate incidents. A ruling was expected to be delivered on Friday, Jan. 31.

The killing of Momika comes amid growing outrage in Muslim countries, where his actions were widely condemned. The investigation into his death is ongoing, and Swedish authorities have yet to provide further details about the attack.

Police confirmed that a man was shot dead in Sodertalje around 11pm on Wednesday.

“Police arrested five people overnight. Prosecutors have detained them,” a police statement said.

Background of Salwan Momika: Controversial actions, extremist views

Momika, an Iraqi-born individual who became a Swedish citizen, was known for his extreme and provocative actions, particularly those aimed at inciting religious and ethnic tensions.

He gained international attention for his inflammatory acts, such as burning the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm, which he executed after a prolonged legal struggle. These actions were part of a broader pattern of behavior designed to provoke and stir controversy.

Momika hailed from the Assyrian-Aramean community in Iraq, a group that had been involved in political and armed resistance movements in the region. Throughout his time in Iraq, he was affiliated with organizations that employed extreme rhetoric and sometimes resorted to violence. After migrating to Sweden, Momika continued to align with hardline ideologies, founding the Assyrian Democratic Unity Party, which adopted positions strongly critical of Islam.

His actions, including defacing the Quran by attaching pig’s bacon to its pages and stomping on it, were a deliberate attempt to provoke Muslims and challenge their religious symbols. Though he publicly identified as an atheist, his actions appeared to be motivated by a broader agenda to stoke division and hostility, rather than any genuine advocacy for freedom of expression or human rights.

Momika’s provocative acts, coupled with his associations with far-right movements, led many to categorize him as an extremist provocateur. His behavior, which frequently disregarded the sensitivities of religious communities, earned him widespread condemnation, with critics viewing him as someone intent on inciting religious hatred and conflict.