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Swedish artist Lars Vilks drew a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Mohammed's head attached to the body of a dog - Source: Reuters -
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Irish police arrested seven people in connection with an alleged
plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist over a drawing depicting the
Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog.
The police said they had detained four men and three women in the
southern counties of Waterford and Cork as part of an investigation
into a conspiracy to murder an individual in another
jurisdiction.
They declined to give details of the suspects except to say their
ages ranged from mid 20s to late 40s.
National broadcaster RTE said the detainees were originally from
Morocco and Yemen.
A security source confirmed local media reports that the alleged
plot under investigation was to murder Lars Vilks, for whose
killing an Iraqi group linked to al Qaeda offered a $US100,000
reward in 2007.
"It is understood (the suspects) all have refugee status and are
legally in the country," RTE added in a report on its
website.
Vilks told Swedish news wire TT that he had received threatening
phone calls from Somalia and was prepared to barricade himself
inside a secure room if attackers ever tried to force their way
into his home.
"I have prepared in different ways and I have an axe here if anyone
would try to come in through the window," he told TT, adding that
he had informed the Swedish security service of the threats against
him.
A spokeswoman for the security service, responsible for dealing
with terrorist threats, said Swedish authorities had been aware of
the arrests before they were made public but could not offer any
further details.
In January, a Somali man was indicted on charges of terrorism and
attempted murder for breaking into the home of Danish cartoonist
Kurt Westergaard and threatening him with an axe.
A cartoon by Westergaard in 2005 which depicted the Prophet
Muhammad with a turban shaped like a bomb sparked outrage across
the Muslim world, with at least 50 people killed in riots in the
Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam as
offensive.
The Irish police said they had been working closely on the plot
against Vilks with law enforcement agencies in the United States
and a number of European countries.
