Swedish Mohammed artist death threat

Terrorist organisation Al Quaeda has pledged up to $150,000 as a reward for the murder of Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who produced a series of pencil drawings depicting Mohammed as a dog. Additionally, a bounty of $50,000 has been placed on Ulf Johansson, whose newspaper Nerikes Allehanda printed the images on 18th August and has subsequently reprinted them twice (28th August and 16th September).

The cartoons have also appeared in other Swedish newspapers, including Aftonbladet (20th August), Sydsvenskan (24th August), Barometern (22nd August), Dagens Nyheter (22nd August), Expressen, and Uppsala Nya Tidning.

The artist has now gone into hiding, with police protection. A claim, brought by three Swedish Muslim organisations, that publication of the cartoons constituted an incitement to racial hatred, has been rejected by the Swedish Chancellor.