Sweden summons Iraq's charge d'affaires over Bagdad embassy fire

Sweden's foreign minister on Thursday said the country was summoning Iraq's charge d'affaires in Stockholm after protesters, angered by a planned Quran, stormed and set fires inside Sweden's embassy compound in Baghdad.

"What has happened is completely unacceptable and the government condemns these attacks in the strongest terms. Iraqi authorities have an unequivocal obligation to protect diplomatic missions and personnel under the Vienna Convention," Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in a statement, adding that Iraq's charge d'affaires would be summoned to the foreign ministry.

Early on Thursday, hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in central Baghdad, storming its walls and lighting it ablaze.

Condemning the attack, Swedish foreign ministry said that all Baghdad embassy staff are safe.

According to a Reuters report, citing posts in a well-known Telegram channel connected to the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media, the rally on Thursday was organised by followers of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada Sadr to oppose the planned Quran burning in Sweden in weeks.

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According to Swedish news agency TT, Swedish police granted an application for a public meeting outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday.

The application says the applicant seeks to burn the Quran and the Iraqi flag, TT reported.

Two people were set to participate in the demonstration, according to TT, adding one of the people was the same person who set a Quran on fire outside a Stockholm mosque in June.

A series of videos posted to the Telegram group, One Baghdad, and other platforms showed people gathering around the embassy around 1 am on Thursday (2200 GMT on Wednesday) chanting pro-Sadr slogans and storming the embassy complex around an hour later.

“Yes, yes to the Quran,” protesters chanted.

Videos later showed smoke rising from a building in the embassy complex and protesters standing on its roof.

With inputs from agencies