Sweden to deport Iraqi national Salwan Momika who attacked Quran

By Atilla Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) - Sweden will deport Iraqi national Salwan Momika, who burned copies of the Quran in recent months.

Migration Office spokesperson Jesper Tengroth told broadcaster TV4 that Momika's residence and working permits will expire April 16.

His permits will not be renewed and he will be deported, he said.

“Our decision is based on the fact that he made false statements in his applications for the permits,” he said, adding there is also a five-year entry ban on Momika.

It was reported that Momika would object to the decision and take the case to the migration court.

Momika burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden on June 21.

He made headlines a week later when he burned the Muslim holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm during Eid al-Adha -- a major Islamic religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

Along with Denmark and the Netherlands, Sweden has faced wide-ranging criticism for permitting public desecration of the Quran under police protection.