Salwan Momika, an Iraqi man who sparked outrage by staging Quran-burning protests in Sweden in 2023, has been shot dead, according to Swedish authorities.

An Iraqi man who staged Quran burnings in Sweden was shot dead hours before he was set to receive a verdict on Thursday in a trial tied to the desecrations of Islam’s holy book that drew worldwide uproar, authorities said.

Salwan Momika was facing four counts of agitating an ethnic group and a trial verdict had been due the day after his death