A man has been arrested after appearing to burn a Koran in central Manchester this afternoon.
The man, 47, was arrested on suspicion of a "racially aggravated public order offence" following an incident near the city's Glade of Light Memorial, a Greater Manchester Police spokesman told GB News.
The 47-year-old remains in custody after the incident next to the memorial - which commemorates the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack.
The "burning" was live-streamed on social media just days after Salwan Momika, a Swedish anti-Islam activist who burned the Koran in 2023, was shot dead in an apartment near Sweden's capital Stockholm on January 29.
A man has been arrested after appearing to burn a Koran in central Manchester
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In response to today's incident, GMP's Assistant Chief Constable Stephanie Parker said: "We understand the deep concern this will cause within some of our diverse communities and are aware of a live video circulating.
"We made a swift arrest at the time and recognise the right people have for freedom of expression, but when this crosses into intimidation to cause harm or distress we will always look to take action when it is reported to us."
While a GMP statement read: "At around 2.45pm today (Saturday February 1, 2025) we arrested a 47-year-old man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence following an incident in the city centre at the Glade of Light memorial.
"He remains in custody currently for questioning.
"Anyone with further information is asked to call 101 quoting incident 3713 of 31/01/2025."
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PICTURED: Salwan Momika destroys a copy of the Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm
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A court in Stockholm had been due to sentence Momika and another man in a criminal trial over "offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group," but said the announcement of the verdict had been postponed.
Swedish media reported that Momika was streaming live on TikTok at the time he was shot.
A video seen by reporters showed police picking up a phone and ending a livestream that appeared to be from Momika's TikTok account.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the country's security services were investigating Momika's death
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the country's security services were investigating Momika's death because there was "obviously a risk that there were links to foreign powers," SVT reported.
Unrest had broken out at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice after his burnings, while the Swedish ambassador was expelled from the city in a diplomatic row.
But Swedish police had given Momika permission for the protest in which he burnt the holy book, in accordance with the country's freedom of speech laws.
The government later said it would look into legal means of abolishing protests which involve burning texts in "certain circumstances".
