Stockholm: Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who sparked controversy by drawing Prophet Mohammed was 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-Qaida front organisation then offered USD 100,000 to anyone who murdered Vilks - with an extra 50,000 if his throat was slit - and USD 50,000 for the death of Nerikes Allehanda editor-in-chief Ulf Johansson.
"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 talked about religion and showed a film, 20 persons tried to attack him, probably offended by the film."
Advertisement
In 2007, Swedish regional daily Nerikes Allehanda published Vilks' satirical cartoon to illustrate an editorial on the importance of freedom of expression.
Advertisement
An Al-Qaida front organisation then offered USD 100,000 to anyone who murdered Vilks - with an extra 50,000 if his throat was slit - and USD 50,000 for the death of Nerikes Allehanda editor-in-chief Ulf Johansson.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Waqf Law Change To Help Women, Say Sources, Warn Of "Dangerous Narrative" Violent Crowd Clashes With UK Police After Young Girls Killed Uttarakhand Muslim Shopkeepers Happy As Top Court Extends Stay On Kanwar Yatra Eateries Order Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources Who Is Jasveen Sangha, "Ketamine Queen" Charged With Matthew Perry's Death How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan Police Arrest Suspect In Bihar Dalit Girl Kidnapping, Murder Case 80 Killed In Paramilitary Attack In Sudan OpenAI Blocks Iranian Group's ChatGPT Accounts For Targeting US Election Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.