Sweden announces the transfer of staff and operations at the Embassy in Iraq to Stockholm

July 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Swedish Government has announced this Friday the transfer to Stockholm of all the staff of its embassy in Iraq after the assault on the mission in Baghdad this week by a feverish crowd after learning of the authorization of a new burning of the Koran in Stockholm.

In a statement collected by ‘Aftonbladet’, the Foreign Ministry confirms that “the Embassy in Baghdad is temporarily transferring its operations and personnel to Stockholm for security reasons.”

“The personnel attached to the Embassy have arrived in Sweden on a regular flight,” added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Although in the end the person in charge of the protest, the Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, limited himself to trampling on the holy book, thousands of Iraqis in Baghdad expressed their indignation against the country’s diplomatic mission, which was stormed and burned by hundreds of people.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani subsequently ordered the Swedish ambassador to Baghdad, Jessica Svardstrom, expelled from the country.

On the other hand, this Friday the director for Iraq, Libya and Syria of the Associated Press, Abby Sewell, has denounced the arrest of a photographer from the news agency while covering the assault on the Embassy. Two other Reuters agency employees were arrested.

“Fortunately they were released several hours later, but this is not an acceptable deal for accredited journalists doing their job,” he lamented on his Twitter account.