A man who triggered violent protests by burning the Quran has been reported as shot dead in Sweden, as per local media.
The individual, Salwan Momika, aged 38, was allegedly killed in an apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm on Wednesday evening.
Tensions escalated after Mr. Momika burned a copy of Islam's holy book outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023.
Stockholm police confirmed the death of a man in his 40s and announced the arrest of five individuals in relation to the incident.
According to local reports, Mr. Momika was livestreaming on social media at the time of the shooting.
An Iraqi resident of Sweden, Mr. Momika faced charges in August, along with another individual, for "agitation against an ethnic group" on four occasions during the summer of 2023.
The Stockholm District Court postponed the delivery of the verdict scheduled for Thursday, citing the death of one of the defendants.
Mr. Momika had organized several anti-Islam demonstrations, provoking backlash in numerous Muslim-majority nations.
Unrest erupted twice at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, leading to the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador amid diplomatic tensions.
Subsequently, the government committed to exploring legal avenues to prevent protests involving the burning of texts under specific circumstances.