Iraqi Shot Dead in Sweden Ahead of Verdict over Quran Burning

Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Quran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS
Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Quran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS
TT
20

Iraqi Shot Dead in Sweden Ahead of Verdict over Quran Burning

Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Quran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS
Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Quran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS

An Iraqi refugee was shot dead in Sweden late on Wednesday, just hours before he was due to receive a court verdict following a trial over burning the Quran, a court document showed on Thursday.

Salwan Momika, 38, was shot in a house in the town of Sodertalje near Stockholm, public broadcaster SVT reported, citing unnamed police sources.
Momika had burned copies of the Quran in public demonstrations in 2023 against Islam.

A Stockholm court had been due to sentence Momika and another man on Thursday in a criminal trial over "offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group," but said the announcement of the verdict had been postponed, Reuters reported.

The other defendant in the same court case posted a message on X on Thursday, saying: "I'm next.”

Police confirmed that a man was shot dead in Sodertalje around 2200 GMT on Wednesday but did not comment further.

"We are following the development of events closely to see what impact this may have on Swedish security," a Security Service spokesperson told Reuters, adding that it was a police matter and they were leading the investigation.

Swedish media reported that Momika was streaming live on TikTok at the time he was shot. A video seen by Reuters showed police picking up a phone and ending a livestream that appeared to be from Momika's TikTok account.

Sweden in 2023 raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and warned of threats against Swedes at home and abroad after the Quran burnings, many of them by Momika, outraged Muslims.

While the Swedish government condemned the wave of Quran burnings in 2023, it was initially regarded as a protected form of free speech.



Russia's Lavrov to Discuss Turkish Role in Ending Ukraine War in Visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
TT
20

Russia's Lavrov to Discuss Turkish Role in Ending Ukraine War in Visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Türkiye on Monday to discuss his country's recent talks with US officials on ending the war in Ukraine, and how Ankara can contribute to the process, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Sunday.

NATO-member Türkiye, which hosted initial negotiations between Russia and Ukraine months after the war began in 2022, "is ready to assume this role in the upcoming period", the source said, requesting anonymity, Reuters reported.

Lavrov's visit coincides with the three-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The source added that Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan would also discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Syria, where Türkiye will emphasize the need for Syrian territorial unity and the expulsion of terrorists.

US and Russian negotiators met in Riyadh last week to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine, without Kyiv's participation. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

The Turkish source said the sides on Monday would discuss steps toward "a just and lasting peace through diplomatic efforts, recent contacts between the US and Russia and the contributions that Türkiye can make to the process".