STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -The Swedish prime minister said the shooting of an anti-Islam campaigner just hours before a trial verdict was due on Thursday over his burning the Koran might be linked to a foreign power, and police arrested five people over the killing.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said in 2023 that Sweden had gone into “battle-array for war on the Muslim world” by supporting “the criminal”, and that “all Islamic scholars agree that those who desecrate the Koran deserved the most severe punishment”.

Anti-Islam posts by Karla Sofía Gascón have resurfaced amid her Oscars race. As the star of Emilia Pérez, Karla made history as the first openly trans actor to be nominated for Best Actress at the awards. Indeed, she has spoken numerous times — including onstage at the Golden Globes — about the importance of trans rights.

She suggested that Islam be banned and called George Floyd a drug addict who “very few people ever cared” for.

Karla Sofía Gascón's Oscar campaign has hit yet another bump in the road. The "Emilia Pérez" star, who made history by becoming the first openly transgender performer ever nominated for an Academy Award,