Iran accuses Iraqi man who burned Quran in Sweden of working for Israeli Mossad

Iran on Monday accuse an Iraqi man who recently burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden of being an agent of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, stomped on the Quran and set several pages alight outside a Stockholm mosque on June 28, triggering widespread anger among Muslims around the world.

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Swedish police had granted Momika a permit for the demonstration, citing free speech protections.

In a statement carried by state media, Iran’s intelligence ministry asserted that Momika’s act of burning the Quran was a coordinated effort with Israel, intended to divert attention from Israeli operations against Palestinians. It referenced a recent Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

“This is the usual practice of the Zionists, who, alongside their campaigns of murder and destruction, implement criminal projects to deflect attention from their sinister operations,” the statement said.

Last week, Israel launched its largest operation in years in the West Bank city of Jenin, resulting in the deaths of twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

Iran’s statement claimed that Momika had been recruited by the Mossad in 2019 and had been working with the Israeli intelligence agency since then.

It accused Momika of “playing a major role” in spying on Iran-backed Iraqi militias and working towards the disintegration of Iraq before he arrived in Sweden. The statement further alleged that Momika demanded residency in Sweden from Israel in exchange for his services.

In return for his services, Momika demanded residency in Sweden from the Israelis, the statement claimed.

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