Swedish authorities have freed five suspects who were involved in shooting to death an anti-Islam campaigner, Salwan Momika, according to what Senior Prosecutor Rasmus Oman has announced yesterday Friday.
Momika, a 38-year-old Iraqi refugee who became notorious for burning copies of the Koran in public, was shot dead inside a house in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, on Wednesday. The killing sparked immediate attention, as his actions in Sweden could have international implications.
The suspects were first apprehended by Swedish police, but with the continuation of the investigation, evidence against them weakened, leading to their release. The suspects are still under investigation as part of ongoing efforts to understand the motives behind the killing.
Momika had been tried in Sweden for burning the Koran and was awaiting a verdict in his case, which was to be announced shortly after his death. His actions angered a lot of Muslims, causing Sweden to heighten security concerns; the government placed its terrorism alert at the second-highest level back in 2023.
This occurred when Momika, along with others, began to burn copies of the Koran, which sparked outrage across the Muslim world. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had earlier demanded extreme punishment for those who committed such actions against the Koran, and he said Sweden handled the affair abysmally.
Sweden’s prime minister has indicated that the killing might be connected to a foreign power, further complicating the investigation.
