The Swedish embassy in Baghdad was torched before dawn during a rally organized by supporters of religious leader Moqtada Sadr on the eve of a new event in Sweden where organizers reportedly plan to burn a new copy of the Koran. An AFP correspondent saw smoke billowing from the embassy building in the area where Iraqi police officers in riot gear were stationed for the demonstration.
The Iraqi foreign minister condemned the fire “strongly” and called on the security forces to launch an “urgent investigation”. “The Iraqi government – according to a statement – has instructed the responsible security services to launch an urgent investigation and take all necessary measures to clarify the causes of the accident and identify the perpetrators.”
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