Demonstrators angry at burning copies of the Quran in Sweden set fire to the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital: reports.
Demonstrators angry at the burning of copies of the Koran in Sweden stormed the Swedish embassy in central Baghdad, climbed the walls of the compound and set it on fire.
The press office of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Thursday morning that all embassy staff were safe, condemned the attack and highlighted the need for Iraqi authorities to protect diplomatic missions.
Online videos showed protesters at the embassy early Thursday morning waving flags and banners showing Iraqi Shiite religious leader and politician Muqtada al-Sadr.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attack on the embassy.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Iraqi government directed the competent security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and take the necessary security measures to uncover the circumstances of the incident, identify the perpetrators of this act, and hold them accountable according to the law.” he said in a statement.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the staff at the embassy were “safe” after the embassy was stormed and set on fire, and that the Iraqi authorities had a responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and staff. A source told Reuters earlier that no embassy staff was injured and declined to give further details.
By dawn on Thursday, security forces were deployed inside the embassy and smoke billowed from the building as firefighters put out stubborn embers, according to witnesses.
Most of the protesters walked out, with a few dozen outside the embassy.
Sadr supporters called the rally on Thursday to protest the planned second burning of a Quran in Sweden, according to posts in a popular Telegram group linked to the influential leader and other pro-Sadr media outlets.
“Today we are taking action to denounce the burning of the Qur’an, and this is all about love and faith,” protester Hassan Ahmed told AFP at the embassy.
“We call on the Swedish government and the Iraqi government to stop this kind of initiative,” he said.
Swedish news agency TT reported on Wednesday that Swedish police had approved a request for a public meeting outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday.
The application stated that the applicant was seeking to burn a copy of the Quran and the Iraqi flag, TT reports.
Swedish media reported that Sloane Momica, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, organized the arson on Thursday.
Silwan also burned pages from a copy of the Quran in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque on June 28 during Eid al-Adha, a holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world.
This previous incident prompted Muqtada’s supporters to storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad the next day.
The governments of several Islamic countries, including Iraq, Turkey, the UAE, Jordan and Morocco, issued protests over the incident, with Iraq demanding that the man be extradited for trial in the country.
Swedish police granted Momica a permit in line with protecting freedom of expression in the country, but authorities later said they had opened an investigation for “incitement against an ethnic group”, stating that Momica had burned pages of the Islamic Bible too close to the mosque.
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