Iraqi who burned Quran in Sweden to leave the country

An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by burning the Quran on several occasions last year said on Wednesday he was leaving the country for neighboring Norway after Sweden revoked his residency permit, AFP reported.

Salwan Momika told AFP that he had left Sweden and arrived in Norway, where he planned to seek asylum.

"I left Sweden because of the persecution I was subjected to by government institutions," Momika said in a text message.

In response to Momika’s Quran burnings, protesters stormed Sweden’s Embassy in Baghdad and carried out a firebomb attack on the Swedish diplomatic mission in Beirut.

Sweden eventually raised its terror alert to the second-highest level, saying the country had become a priority target for terrorist groups.

The Swedish government condemned the desecrations of the Quran but stressed the country's laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly. Later, however, Sweden said it was examining legal and legislative possibilities to ensure a ban on the desecration of holy books throughout the country.

The Swedish Migration Agency revoked Momika's residency permit in October, according to AFP, citing false information in his original application, but he was granted a temporary one as it said there were was an "impediment to enforcement" of a deportation to Iraq.

The month before, Iraq had requested his extradition over one of the Koran burnings.

Momika called Sweden's freedom of expression and protection of human rights "a big lie."