A man who recorded himself burning a Bible and then posted it online has been found shot dead.
Antônio Rocha de Sousa’s body was discovered on Wednesday, May 14, riddled with bullet wounds.
Police are treating his death as a homicide.
Just 10 days before his death, Antônio uploaded a clip where he was seen setting the holy book alight.
In the footage, the 47-year-old flicked a lighter at the Bible and said: “This here is a Bible, which they say is sacred. Look what it does when faced with fire. It burns.”
He added: “To me, God doesn’t exist. This is just a way to enslave and manipulate people. If you haven’t woken up yet, it’s time to wake up. Look what this ‘sacred’ thing does in the face of fire. It’s time to wake up – God doesn’t exist.”
Police said Antônio was gunned down in a street in Tianguá, out west from Fortaleza, Brazil. Yet other reports suggests locals came across his corpse in his home, where he lived alone, and called the police, reports the Mirror.
Officials are investigating the incident, with no arrests having been made yet.
A police spokesperson told the press: “We are looking into all possibilities.”
They’re investigating whether they link back to the video or the man’s past run-ins with the law.
Reports say Antônio had history of causing intentional harm.
They suspect the Bible he burnt was stolen.
Police kicked off a theft, damage, and sacrilege probe on 10 May.
He also had previous for GBH, reports state. His social media contained several rants and opinions, available to the public, which he published frequently.
Antônio last shared on social media: “Follower of Christ, (peacekeeper of Peace). Born again in (Christ), among the living, who were once [email protected] having been tested, tried, and approved by God.”
This case is similar to Salwan Momika’s – when he got shot in his home in Södertälje, just outside Stockholm, back in January of this year. The 38-year-old Iraqi landed in Sweden as a refugee in 2018 and made headlines for burning Qurans in 2023.
