Sweden releases 5 arrested following the killing of an Iraqi who carried out Qur’an burnings

Picture taken on Sept. 3, 2023 shows Salwan Momika in Malmö, southern Sweden. (AFP)
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Updated 31 January 2025
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Sweden releases 5 arrested following the killing of an Iraqi who carried out Qur’an burnings

  • Salwan Momika staged several burnings and desecrations of Islam’s holy book in Sweden
  • Momika was killed in a shooting Wednesday night at an apartment building

STOCKHOLM: Swedish prosecutors said Friday they have ordered the release of five men who were arrested after the fatal shooting of an Iraqi man who carried out several Qur’an burnings.
Salwan Momika staged several burnings and desecrations of Islam’s holy book in Sweden in 2023. Videos of the Qur’an burnings got worldwide publicity and raised anger and criticism in several Muslim nations, leading to riots and unrest in many places.
Momika was killed in a shooting Wednesday night at an apartment building in Sodertalje, near Stockholm. Five people were arrested in the following hours on suspicion of murder.
Prosecutor Rasmus Öman said in a statement Friday that the suspicions they committed a crime have weakened and he no longer sees a reason to keep them in custody.
The statement added that the suspicions have not yet been dismissed completely and investigators are still looking into what exactly happened and who was behind the killing.


UK upper house approves social media ban for under-16s

Updated 22 January 2026
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UK upper house approves social media ban for under-16s

LONDON: Britain’s upper house of parliament voted Wednesday in favor of banning under?16s from using social media, raising pressure on the government to match a similar ban passed in Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he was not ruling out any options and pledged action to protect children, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.
Calls have risen across the opposition and within the governing Labour party for the UK to follow Australia, where under-16s have been barred from social media applications since December 10.
The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co?sponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.
“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first,” Nash said. “This vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation.”
Before the vote, Downing Street said the government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.
Public figures including actor Hugh Grant urged the government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
Some child-protection groups warn a ban would create a false sense of security.
A YouGov poll in December found 74 percent of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age?verification for harmful content.