Swedish cartoonist attacked

[lauhumku]

May 12, 2010
Swedish cartoonist attacked

<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> STOCKHOLM - SWEDISH cartoonist Lars Vilks, who sparked controversy by drawing Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog, was on Tuesday attacked while giving a lecture at a university, police said. 'The man was sat in the first row and suddenly he rushed at me. He punched me in the head and I lost my glasses,' said Vilks, adding that at the very most he was 'a little bruised.'

Police said around 250 people were present at the time of the attack at the university of Uppsala, north of the Stockholm. 'When Lars Vilks arrived, five persons started to protest against him with screaming. They calmed down and the lecture continued. 'When Lars Vilks talked about religion and showed a film, 20 persons tried to attack him, probably offended by the film.' Police evacuated the lecture hall but some demonstrators resisted forcing officers to use tear gas.

Two people were arrested. In 2007, Swedish regional daily Nerikes Allehanda published Vilks' satirical cartoon to illustrate an editorial on the importance of freedom of expression. The cartoon prompted protests by Muslims in the town of Oerebro, west of Stockholm, where the newspaper is based, while Egypt, Iran and Pakistan made formal complaints. An Al-Qaeda front organisation then offered US$100,000 (S$138,000) to anyone who murdered Vilks - with an extra US$50,000 if his throat was slit - and US$50,000 for the death of Nerikes Allehanda editor-in-chief Ulf Johansson. -- AFP

 

[lauhumku]

Arson suspect arrested


May 16, 2010
Arson suspect arrested

<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> STOCKHOLM - POLICE arrested a suspect in an arson attack on the house of a Swedish cartoonist, who sparked controversy by drawing the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog, they said on Sunday. The 21-year-old Swedish national of Kosovar origin, from the southern city of Landskrona, was arrested late Saturday at his home, 40 kilometres from the house where cartoonist Lars Vilks lives. A police spokesman said he was detained after personal items were found near Vilks' house in the village of Nyhamnslaege, which was slightly damaged in the attack overnight on Friday.

'He is of Swedish nationality but originally from Kosovo ... He was unknown to the police so far,' Scania district police spokesman Calle Paersson told AFP. The suspect whose name was not made public 'is still being detained and expected to see a judge to decide whether or not he will be charged, possibly tomorrow' (Monday), said Mr Paersson. It was not immediately known whether the suspect had any accomplices. 'We'll see what he says,' he added. Police found glass bottles containing petrol (gasoline) inside Mr Vilks' house which was empty at the time of the attack, which came days after Mr Vilks was attacked while giving a lecture at Uppsala university.

Mr Vilks has told AFP he did not want to over-react to the attack but would take some precautions. 'I'll have to have a hide away for some time, which I think is reasonable... I can probably go in the house during daytime, but I'll have to sleep somewhere else. We have to see if it's possible to install an alarm or something.... I shouldn't be paranoid. This could be a one-time occasion,' he added. -- AFP