An anti-Islam activist who sparked outrage across Muslim countries for burning the Koran has been shot dead in Sweden during a livestream on TikTok.
Salwan Momika, 38, was ruthlessly gunned down in an apartment in the city of Sodertalje on Wednesday night.
Swedish media reported that Momika was streaming live on TikTok at the time he was shot.
A video showed police picking up a phone and ending a livestream that appeared to be from Momika’s TikTok account.
The Iraqi refugee was notorious for staging public demonstrations where he burnt and destroyed the Islamic holy book – the act that enraged Muslims around the world.
A Stockholm court was due to rule on Thursday whether Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Korans at a slew of protest in 2023, and his co-protester Salwan Najem, were guilty of inciting ethnic hatred.
According to the charge sheet, the duo had desecrated and burned the Koran and had also made derogatory remarks about Muslims.
It postponed the ruling to February 3, saying that ‘because Salwan Momika has died, more time is needed’.
Najem tweeted this morning: ‘I’m next’.
Police said they rushed to the scene, where they found Momika suffering from gun wounds. He was rushed to hospital and was later confirmed dead.
Tabloid Aftonbladet reported that the shooter was able to enter the building through the roof.
Five people have been arrested in connection to Momika’s death, police said on their website. They did not say if the shooter was among those detained.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson addressed Momika’s murder in a press conference in Stockholm.
‘I can assure you that the security services are deeply involved because there is obviously a risk that there is a connection to a foreign power,’ he said.
Momika first sparked global anger in June 2023 when he set a Koran on fire and stomped on the holy book outside Stockholm’s main mosque, with several Muslim countries condemning Sweden for allowing the Iraqi man to perform the act during the Eid al-Adha holiday and the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Burning the Koran is seen by Muslims as a blasphemous act because they consider it the literal word of God.
