Salwan Momika, the Iraqi-born Christian activist known for repeatedly burning the Koran in 2023, was shot and killed in Södertälje, south of Stockholm, late Wednesday.

His death comes amid an ongoing trial where he faced charges of inciting ethnic hatred.

Prosecutor Rasmus Oman confirmed to AFP on Thursday that an investigation had been opened into the killing of the 38-year-old, with five individuals detained in connection with the crime.

READ ALSO: Deadly Stampede At Hindu Festival In India Leaves 15 Dead

“We’re in the very early stages … there’s a lot of information gathering. Five people have been detained suspected of involvement in the crime,” Oman stated.

Swedish police responded to reports of a shooting in an apartment building where Momika lived. Officers found a man with gunshot wounds, who was transported to a hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

Several media outlets reported that the attack may have been broadcast live on social media. Aftonbladet suggested the assailant gained entry to the building via the roof, though authorities have not confirmed this detail.

Momika’s killing occurred just a day before a Stockholm court was set to deliver a ruling on his trial for “agitation against an ethnic group.” The court has since postponed its decision until February 3 following his death.

Momika gained international attention in 2023 after publicly desecrating the Koran, including burning copies of Islam’s holy book outside a Stockholm mosque.

He, along with co-protester Salwan Najem, was charged with inciting hatred against an ethnic group on four occasions that summer.

Their actions sparked outrage across the Muslim world and led to diplomatic tensions between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries.

Recall that in July 2023, angry protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice, setting fires within the compound during the second demonstration.

In response to the escalating backlash, Sweden’s intelligence agency, Säpo, raised the country’s terror threat level to four on a five-point scale, citing the Koran burnings as a factor that made Sweden a “prioritised target.”

Despite the controversy surrounding his protests, Momika insisted that he had no ill intentions toward Sweden.

“I don’t want to harm this country that received me and preserved my dignity,” he told Aftonbladet in April 2023.

Momika had been living in Sweden since 2018, but in October 2023, the Swedish Migration Agency revoked his residency permit, citing false information in his original application.

However, authorities granted him a temporary permit, stating that there was an “impediment to enforcement” of his deportation to Iraq.

The month before, Iraq had formally requested his extradition in response to his Koran-burning demonstrations.

In March 2024, Momika left Sweden for Norway, where he sought asylum, claiming that Sweden’s commitment to free speech and human rights was “a big lie.” However, Norwegian authorities deported him back to Sweden a few weeks later.

Before moving to Sweden, Momika had a controversial political history in Iraq. His social media activity indicated links to a Christian armed faction that fought against the Islamic State, as well as the creation of an obscure Syriac political party.

He also had public rivalries with influential Christian paramilitary groups and was briefly arrested.

In 2019, he joined Iraq’s anti-corruption protests, which were met with a violent crackdown that left over 600 people dead nationwide.

Momika’s case is among the first in Sweden to test the boundaries between free speech and inciting hatred.

While Swedish law generally protects acts of religious criticism, prosecutors argued that the context and rhetoric surrounding Momika’s actions could constitute “agitation against an ethnic group.”

In October 2023, a Swedish court convicted another man of inciting ethnic hatred for a 2020 Koran burning, marking the first legal ruling of its kind in the country.

The Osun State Executive Council has approved the appointment of Prince Timileyin Oluyemi Ajayi, a United Kingdom based IT Engineer as the Olojudo of Ido Ajegunle in Obokun Local Government.

The Council also approved five other new kings and elevation of two others to part two chiefs.

This was detailed in a government house statement in Osogbo, on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi.

The new king who studied Office and Information Management at Lead City University Ibadan, Nigeria before his sojourn abroad, is an entrepreneur and business owner who invested in the hospitality and the agricultural industry.

ALSO READ: NCDMB ES, SPDC Officials Visit Brightwaters Energy, Laud Firm’s Capabilities for Industry Projects

Other approved new kings are Prince Emmanuel Adesokan Ayoola as the Oluwaro of Iwaro in Ife North Local Government Area and Prince Kazeem Deji Ogungbe as Oniwata of Iwata in Irewole Local Government.

In the same vein, the Council approved the elevation of Baale Owajigbo of Ejigbo-Orangun; Baale Owamagbon of Ila, Baale Owafaye of Obalogbo-Ila (Ila Traditional Council); Baale Osi Okero-Ife, Baale Mayowa Ifegunle-Ife; Olu of Apatalami-Ife; Baale Ayede Temidire Town; Baale Akingbade of Ayetutu Ipoye-Ife (Ife Traditional Council).

Other elevations include the Looyin of Olodo Okebode-Ijesa; Ologbese of Ogbese (Atakunmosa West); Alaye Daramola-Ijesa (Atakunmosa East); Baale of Ajitena (Ejigbo Traditional Council) and Olaota of Osunwoyin (Ayedire Local Government) to Part II (Recognized) Status of The Chief’s Law, Cap.25, Laws of The Osun State, 2002.

The Council, presided over by Governor Ademola Adeleke also approved the White Paper on the Report of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will not approve admissions for the Law programme at several Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.

This follows a suspension order from the Council of Legal Education (CLE) regarding the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) programme at the affected institutions.

In a statement released on Wednesday, JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed that no admissions would be granted to candidates seeking to enroll in Law programmes at the universities listed below.

READ MORE: NLC Declares Nationwide Protest Over Telecom Tariff Hike

The suspension is part of ongoing measures to regulate and standardize legal education in the country.

Benjamin stated, “JAMB will not approve any admissions for candidates seeking to enroll in the Law programme at the affected universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.”

The institutions impacted by the suspension include:

Kwara State University, Malete, Ilorin, Kwara State

• Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State
• Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State
• Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State
• Taraba State University, Jalingo, Taraba State
• Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State
• Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State
• Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State

Furthermore, the Nigerian Police Academy in Wudil, Kano State, will see its Law programme suspended for an extended period.

Benjamin further elaborated, “Please note that the suspension of the Law programme at the Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State, will last for two academic sessions: specifically, the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 sessions.”

JAMB has urged prospective students to take note of these changes when making their application decisions for the upcoming academic year.