Saudi Arabia hands Swedish charge d'affaires in Riyadh note of protest over 'desecration' of Koran

CAIRO - Saudi Arabia on Thursday summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Riyadh and handed them a note of protest over the "desecration" of the Koran, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.

The kingdom also condemned a planned burning of the Koran in Stockholm, the statement added.

Anti-Islam protesters, one of whom is an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden who burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque in June, applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi Embassy on Thursday.

Iraq warned Sweden that it would cut diplomatic relations if a Koran-burning protest is allowed to go ahead in Stockholm, after protesters stormed and torched the Swedish embassy in Baghdad overnight.