Clashes described by police as a “violent riot” erupted in Sweden’s third-largest city after an anti-Islam protester set fire to the Koran.

Police in Malmo said they were pelted with rocks and dozens of cars were set on fire, including in an underground garage, in clashes that started on Sunday and lasted overnight.

It started after an angry mob tried to stop anti-Islam activist Salwan Momika after he burned a copy of the Koran… in Varnhemstorget, a main square in the city on Sunday afternoon.

A string of Koran burning incidents in both Sweden and neighbouring Denmark have sparked angry protests in recent months – and threatened a diplomatic crisis between the two countries and Muslim nations.

Early on Monday, an angry crowd set fire to tyres and debris and some were seen throwing electric scooters, bicycles and barriers in Malmo’s Rosengard neighbourhood – which has seen similar violence in the past.

“I understand that a public gathering like this arouses strong emotions, but we cannot tolerate disturbances and violent expressions like those we saw on Sunday afternoon,” senior police officer Petra Stenkula said.

Police said they detained 10 people for disturbing public order