- Trump insists Egypt, Jordan will take Gazans
- Stones lead tributes to 'beautiful' Marianne Faithfull, dead at 78
- Washington midair crash: What we know so far
- Syria's new leader pledges 'national dialogue conference'
- McIlroy sinks hole-in-one at PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- American skier Shiffrin remembers air crash victims on return from injury
- Sixties icon Marianne Faithfull to be 'dearly missed' after death at 78
- Barca's Bonmati voices opposition to Saudi Arabia hosting Spanish Super Cup
- On first trip, Rubio to wield big stick in Latin America
- Neymar announces return to Brazil's Santos
- Russian drone attack kills nine in east Ukraine
- Marianne Faithfull: from muse to master
- Benin court jails two ex-allies of president for 20 years
- Elite figure skaters and coaches on crashed US flight
- New abnormal begins for east DR Congo's looted Goma after siege
- Easterby ready for long-term contest between Ireland fly-half duo
- Siao Him Fa leads on sombre day at figure skating Europeans
- Shiffrin fifth ahead of second run in bid for 100th World Cup win
- Trump blames 'diversity' for deadly Washington airliner collision
- 'No awkwardness' for Dupont's France with Jegou, Auradou selection
- Lula says if Trump hikes tariffs, Brazil will reciprocate
- Merkel slams successor over far-right support on immigration bill
- PSG sweat on Zaire-Emery fitness for Champions League play-off
- Stock markets firm on ECB rate cut, corporate results
- Russian drone barrage kills eight in east Ukraine
- Mexican economy shrinks for first time in three years
- 'No awkardness' for Dupont's France with Jegou, Auradou selection
- Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after hostages freed
- BBC apologises to staff over Russell Brand sex complaints
- Nostalgia and escapism: highlights from Paris Couture Week
- UK prosecutors defend jail terms of environmental activists
- Qatari emir tells Syria leader 'urgent need' for inclusive government
- British sailor Davies completes Vendee after 80 days at sea
- Dubai airport clocks record 92.3m passengers, extending hot streak
- IOC presidential contenders deliver their vision for sport in post-Bach era
- Stock markets rise on ECB rate cut, healthy corporate results
- Tears of joy for Thai hostages freed in Gaza
- No survivors after helicopter collides with plane over Washington
- Rwanda-backed M23 pledges to 'march all the way to Kinshasa'
- Jonny Gray returns for Scotland against Italy in Six Nations
- Russian drone barrage kills three elderly couples in east Ukraine
- Italy turn to Allan for Six Nations opener against Scotland
- US economic growth steady in 2024 as Trump takes office
- Leipzig sign in-demand Xavi Simons from PSG until 2027
- Israel halts prisoner release after Gaza hostages freed
- Merlier at the double at Al-Ula Tour
- French rapist Dominique Pelicot questioned over 1990s cases
- Gray returns for Scotland against Italy in Six Nations
- El Salvador merchants no longer obliged to accept bitcoin
- 'I'm out of here': French town braces for rising floods
Koran burner shot dead in Sweden
A man who repeatedly burnt the Koran in 2023 in Sweden, sparking outrage in Muslim countries, has been shot dead, media reported Thursday as police confirmed a man died in a shooting the day before.
A Stockholm court was due to rule on Thursday whether Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Korans at a slew of protests, was guilty of inciting ethnic hatred.
It postponed the ruling until February 3, saying that "because Salwan Momika has died, more time is needed."
Police said in a statement they had been alerted to a shooting in the city of Sodertalje, where Momika lived.
The shooting occurred indoors and when police arrived they found a man who had been "hit by shots and the man was taken to hospital", the statement said.
In a later update, police said the man had died and a murder investigation had been opened.
Several media outlets identified the deceased as Momika, and reported that the shooting may have been broadcast live on social media.
In August, Momika, along with co-protester Salwan Najem, was charged with "agitation against an ethnic group" on four occasions in the summer of 2023.
According to the charge sheet, the duo desecrated the Koran, including burning it, while making derogatory remarks about Muslims -- on one occasion outside a Stockholm mosque.
Relations between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries were strained by the pair's protests.
Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023, starting fires within the compound on the second occasion.
In August of that year, Sweden's intelligence service Sapo raised its threat level to four on a scale of five after the Koran burnings had made the country a "prioritised target".
The Swedish government condemned the desecrations while noting the country's constitutionally protected freedom of speech and assembly laws.
In October 2023, a Swedish court convicted a man of inciting ethnic hatred with a 2020 Koran burning, the first time the country's court system had tried the charge for desecrating Islam's holy book.
Prosecutors have previously said that under Swedish law, the burning of a Koran can be seen as a critique of the book and the religion, and thus be protected under free speech.
However, depending on the context and statements made at the time, it can also be considered "agitation against an ethnic group."
Y.Baker--AT