Salwan Momika said he lived under constant death threats. In connection with his trial, where he was charged with incitement against a group of people, he described the threat picture that existed against him after the Koran burnings.
I live under death threats after al-Qaida published a statement threatening me. And the Iraqi state has issued an arrest warrant for me and put me on the red list, he said, adding that the Iraqi government and the Taliban were looking for him.
Unsafe Country
Mårten Schultz, who is also a legal commentator, believes that it would be a failure for Sweden if it turns out that the motive for Momika's murder is religious criticism.
If it turns out that it is so, it affects the image of Sweden, it would mean that Sweden can be seen as an unsafe country for people who exercise their freedom and rights, he says.
The threat picture against Momika was enormous. It is always tragic when a person is murdered, but it is particularly tragic when someone is because they have exercised their right to freedom of expression.
Had Protection
Momika had, according to his lawyer Anna Roth, personal protection during the trial and when he participated in gatherings, but not otherwise. Something that does not surprise the former police commissioner Tage Åström, who is now the operational manager of a security company.
It is normal for personal protection to apply to point interventions, he says to TT.
To get protection to a greater extent, a very concrete threat is required. And if there were a very concrete threat, the person would be moved from their residence. In normal cases, you do not have protection in your home. The police do not have resources to that extent.
Crime victims and other private individuals who need protection receive it from the police's crime victim and personal security unit Bops, while Säpo, for example, protects the government leadership and certain royals. If Momika had protection through the police, the police do not want to comment.
This has many bottoms. The police make assessments, but people sometimes do not want protection. But I cannot comment on the individual case of whether he had protection or not, says the national police chief Petra Lundh.
