Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has suggested that the recent shooting of anti-Islam campaigner Salwan Momika, just hours before the trial verdict over his burning of the Koran, may be linked to a foreign power. The 38-year-old Iraqi refugee was shot in a house in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, on Wednesday.

In connection with the killing, police arrested five individuals, though it has not been disclosed whether the gunman is among those detained. Momika known for publicly burning and desecrating copies of the Koran in 2023, had previously broadcast these acts on social media or carried them out in public. A prosecutor has ordered the detention of the five individuals arrested.

“I can assure you that the security services are deeply involved because there is obviously a risk that there is a connection to a foreign power,” the Swedish Prime Minister said at a news conference on Thursday.

Vice Prime Minister Ebba Busch condemned the murder. “It is a threat to our free democracy. It must be met with the full force of our society,” she wrote on X.

A Stockholm court has dismissed the case against Salwan Momika following his death. The court stated that the verdict for another individual involved in the same trial, regarding "offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group" in relation to the Koran burnings, will be postponed until Monday.

In 2023, Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and issued warnings about potential threats to Swedes both domestically and abroad after the Koran burnings, many of which were carried out by Momika. These actions sparked outrage among Muslims and led to threats from jihadist groups.

Sweden’s Security Service has informed Reuters that it is evaluating the potential impact of the recent shooting on the country’s security.

Burning the Koran is considered blasphemous by Muslims, as they believe it to be the literal word of God. While the Swedish government condemned the wave of Koran burnings in 2023, these actions are widely viewed as a protected form of free speech under Swedish law.

In response to the Koran burnings, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared in 2023 that individuals who desecrate the Koran should face the "most severe punishment," accusing Sweden of "going into battle-array for war on the Muslim world" by supporting those responsible for the actions.

In 2023, Sweden’s migration agency sought to deport Salwan Momika for providing false information on his residency application. However, the deportation was not carried out due to the risk he faced of torture and inhumane treatment upon return to Iraq.