AN IRAQI man who carried out several Koran burnings in Sweden has died, a judge in Stockholm said today. 

Swedish media reported that he was killed in a shooting in the nearby city of Sodertalje.

Salwan Momika staged several burnings and desecrations of Islam’s holy book in Sweden in 2023.

Videos of the Koran 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 that a verdict scheduled to take place today, in a trial in which Mr Momika was a defendant, was postponed because one of the defendants had died. 

Police said they were alerted to the shooting on Wednesday night and found a man with gunshot wounds who later died.

Prosecutor Rasmus Oman told Swedish news agency TT that several people had been arrested in the case. He did not elaborate.

Mr Momika had argued that his protests targeted the religion of Islam, not Muslim people. He argued that he wanted to protect Sweden’s population from the messages of the Koran.

Swedish police allowed his demonstrations, citing freedom of speech laws, while filing charges against him.

Mr Momika and a co-defendant were charged in the Stockholm court with incitement to racial hatred because of statements they made in connection with the Koran burnings.