Protesters Storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad After Man Threatens to Burn Quran in Stockholm

Security forces deploy a water cannon as protesters gather near the Swedish embassy in Baghdad hours after the embassy was stormed and set on fire ahead of an expected Koran burning in Stockholm, in Baghdad on July 20, 2023. Ahmed Saad/Reuters

BAGHDAD—Protesters angered by an Iraqi man in Sweden who threatened to burn a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday, overrunning the diplomatic compound and starting a fire.

Hours later, Iraq’s prime minister cut diplomatic ties with Sweden in protest over the desecration of the Quran.