Washington: Early on Thursday morning, a sizable group of rioters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and set the structure on fire. An activist is expected to burn the Muslim holy book, the Koran, at the latest in a string of protests planned for Stockholm that have been approved by Swedish police, prompting the angry demonstration in Iraq.

According to Reuters, hundreds of people flocked to the diplomatic mission early on Thursday after prominent Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for protests.

Online videos of the incident have been circulating, with one clip claiming to capture the moment rioters stormed the embassy.

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Other videos showed flames and smoke, with black plumes rising from the embassy's windows as demonstrators chanted.

The Swedish government's approval of a planned Koran-burning performance in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm on Thursday reportedly served as the impetus for the protest.

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A similar prank was pulled at the same location last month, setting off a tumultuous protest in Baghdad that included a crowd of incensed people storming the Swedish Embassy.

The governments of numerous Muslim nations, including those of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey, have also officially protested the previous Koran-burning. Al-Sadr, on the other hand, demanded that Sweden's ambassador to Iraq be expelled because he stood for a country that was "hostile to Islam."

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The stunt in Stockholm has also drawn condemnation from Russia and the United States, though Washington insisted that allowing it to happen was consistent with the Swedes' right to free expression.