Jonkoping County, March 26: Unknown persons placed a severed head of wild boar on a copy of Quran in Sweden's Vetlanda town yesterday. According to local media reports, police launched an investigation and are treating the incident as a hate crime and incitement against an ethnic group. No suspect was identified or arrested in connection with the incident. Sweden Riot: Violence Erupts in Malmo After Anti-Muslim Leader Rasmus Paludan Stopped From Entering 'Quran-Burning' Rally; Here's What We Know So Far.

A copy of Quran with a severed head of wild board on it was found was found in a parking lot in a residential area of Vetlanda. Upon noticing it, people started gathering after which cops were alerted. By the time cops arrived at the scene, many onlookers had already gathered, local media reported. Police seized the holy book and discarded the boar head as rubbish. Outcry in Sweden After Drive-by Shooting Kills 12-year-old.

Law enforcement officers intend to get fingerprints of suspects from the seized copy of the Quran. No one at the scene saw any suspects who could possibly be linked to the incident. Police urged people to come forward if they have any information related to the incident. "Many people were very upset when we arrived at the scene," police press spokesperson Bjorn Oberg told the newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

The incident comes barely a month after a 22-year-old Afghan man stabbed three persons. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the act "heinous" but asserted that it had nothing to do with immigration. The prosecution had also ruled out a terror motive.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2021 02:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).