An Iraqi man who carried out several Quran burnings in Sweden has died

STOCKHOLM (AP) — An Iraqi man who carried out several Quran burnings in Sweden has died, a court in Stockholm said Thursday. Swedish media reported that he was killed in a shooting in a nearby city.

Salwan Momika, 38, staged several burnings and desecrations of Islam’s holy book in Sweden. 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. He is currently being investigated by Swedish authorities for incitement against ethnic groups in Sweden.

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. Court documents and the judge in the case, Göran Lundahl, confirmed that the deceased was Momika, Swedish news agency TT reported.

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