Notes from Sweden

Lars Vilks, originally uploaded by professional housewife

From BBC News:

The purported head of al-Qaeda in Iraq has offered a reward for the murder of a Swedish cartoonist over his drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

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The $100,000 (£49,310) reward would be raised by 50% if Lars Vilks was “slaughtered like a lamb” said the audio message aired on the internet.

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The speaker, said to be Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, threatened a new offensive during the holy month of Ramadan.

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Last month’s cartoon showed Prophet Muhammad’s head on a dog’s body.

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Several Muslim countries protested.

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Bounty set over Prophet cartoon.

The crisis has been de-fused in Sweden, after Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt met ambassadors from more than 20 Islamic countries, and explained that the government cannot intervene in a free press dispute. They expressed satisfaction at the time, especially since the Danish prime minister had refused a similar meeting during the cartoon crisis there.

Swedish Radio News reports that artist Lars Vilks has downplayed the threat, saying that anyone offering only 100,000 dollars cannot be really serious. The Swedish security police say the threat is difficult to determine. The Iraqi group is not thought to actually be capable of undertaking any actions in Sweden, but there is a danger someone closer might be inspired.

The report quotes American sources who say that Abu Omar al Baghdadi does not actually exist.