Salwan Momika Age, Death, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Salwan Sabah Matthew Momika
Profession	Paramilitary member
Known for	Burning the Quran
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight (approx.)	70 Kg (154 lbs)
Body Measurements (approx.)	- Chest: 40 inches - Waist: 32 inches - Biceps: 12 inches
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Military Career
Allegiance	Iraq
Service/Branch	Popular Mobilization Forces
Years of Service	2014-2017
Unit	Kataib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam - Imam Ali Brigades
Battles/Wars	War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	23 June 1986 (Monday)
Birthplace	Qaraqosh, Al-Hamdaniya, Nineveh, Iraq
Date of Death	29 January 2025
Place of Death	Södertälje, Sweden
Age (at the time of death)	38 Years
Death Cause	Gunshot wound
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Nationality	Iraqi
Hometown	Qaraqosh
Religion	Atheist (formerly Syriac Catholic)
Ethnicity	Assyrian
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Tattoo	On left wrist
Controversy	Burning the Quran On 28 June 2023, Salwan Momika went outside the Stockholm mosque and set fire to the Quran with police protection and legal permission. He repeated it on 20 July 2023 in Stockholm. This caused many similar demonstrations in Christian majority countries and protests in the Muslim majority countries. A court case was filed against him in the local court which was unsettled when he was shot dead on 29 January 2025.
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Unmarried

Some Lesser Known Facts About Salwan Momika

• Salwan Momika joined the Assyrian Patriotic Party and was a security guard for the party’s headquarters in Mosul during the Iraqi civil war.

• According to the people in the Iraqi government, he fled his hometown in 2012 after a local court sentenced him to 3 years of jail time because of a road accident in which 1 person died.

• In June 2014, he joined the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to fight against ISIS.
  

  Salwan Momika when he lived in Iraq

• He later joined the Syriac Assembly Movement.

• He also founded the Syriac Democratic Union and the Falcons of the Syriac Forces in 2014.

• He fled the country after losing an internal power struggle to the Babylon Movement leader Rayan al-Kildani.

• He arrived in Germany in 2017 on a Schengen visa, declaring he was an atheist.
  

  Salwan Momika when he was living in Germany

• He applied for a refugee visa to Sweden in April 2018, which he was granted for 3 years.

• Following that, he was granted a three-year temporary residence permit. He also applied for permanent residence but it was refused on claims of lying that he was in the Imam Ali Brigades.

• In 2021, he was accused of threatening a man with a knife after which he was sentenced to probation and community service.

• In June and July 2023, he burned the Quran in Sweden. His father cut ties with him and distanced their family.
  

  Salwan Momika burning the Quran

• A bounty of $2 million and a 24-karat gold Quran weighing 2 kilos were put on Salwan Momika after he burned the Quran in 2023.

• The Swedish Migration Agency initially decided to expel him from the country, but they later revoked their decision because of the death threats from Islamic terrorists.
  

  Salwan Momika showing the Quran

• In March 2023, rumours spread that he fled to Norway for asylum and was shot dead there. But the Norwegian police denied those rumours.

• In August 2023, he was attacked by a man wearing boxing gloves on the streets of Södertälje.
  

  Salwan Momika (in grey jacket) attacked by a man wearing boxing gloves

• During the initial phase of the Gaza War 2023, he hoisted the Israeli Flag publicly in Sweden.
  

  Salwan Momika waving the Israeli flag in Sweden during the 2023 Gaza War

• On 4 April 2024, the Norwegian police announced that they arrested him on 28 March 2024 and sent him back to Sweden on 11 April 2024.
  

  Salwan Momika after he was transferred from Norway to Sweden

• At around 11 pm local time on 29 January 2025, he was live-streaming on TikTok from his home in Södertälje when he went to the balcony for a quick break.

• Viewers on his livestream heard gunshots. Later, a police officer appeared on the stream and shut it down.
  

  Police officials inspecting the crime scene of Salwan Momika’s murder

• He was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead because of a bullet injury to the head.

• Police later arrested 5 people in connection with the case.

• Many Turkish newspapers celebrated his death, with headlines declaring support for his killers.

• Sweden claimed that there might be an international gang behind his death.

• He used to smoke cigarettes or cigars.
  

  Salwan Momika (right) smoking a cigarette