Baghdad: Sweden Embassy staff return to Stockholm

Followers of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protest against the act of Quran burning, in Baghdad, Iraq on July 21, 2023 [Murtadha Al-Sudani – Anadolu Agency]

The staff of the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad returned on Friday to Stockholm for security reasons after the embassy was stormed by protesters angry about permission being granted to burn the Holy Quran in Stockholm.

This came after a number of protesters stormed the embassy and set fire to it, Iraqi media revealed. However, there have been no details about the severity of the damage.

On Thursday, Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador in protest of a planned burning of the Holy Quran that prompted hundreds of protesters to gather near the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.

A spokesperson for the Sweden Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that staff and operations would temporarily move to Stockholm for security reasons but declined to give further comment, Reuters reported.

READ: Iraq declares Sweden ambassador to Baghdad persona non grata

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