Salwan Momika, 38, staged several burnings and desecrations of Islam’s holy book in Sweden in 2023. Videos of the Quran burnings got worldwide publicity and raised anger and criticism in several Muslim nations, leading to riots and unrest in many places.
The Stockholm District Court said a verdict scheduled Thursday in a trial in which Momika was a defendant was postponed because one of the defendants had died. A judge at the court, Göran Lundahl, confirmed that the deceased was Momika. He added he didn’t have any information on when and how Momika died.
Police announced they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night at an apartment building in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, and found a man with gunshot wounds. He later died, and a preliminary murder investigation was opened.
Broadcaster SVT reported, without naming sources, that the victim was Momika. It added Momika came to Sweden from Iraq in 2018 and was granted a three-year residence permit in 2021.
Prosecutor Rasmus Öman told Swedish news agency TT that several people had been arrested in the case. He did not elaborate.
Momika and a co-defendant were charged in August with incitement to hatred because of statements they made in connection with the Quran burnings. A verdict was supposed to be handed down on Thursday morning.
