Denmark finds cartoonist attacker guilty of terror

Somali found guilty of attempted terror, manslaughter; also convicted of violence against police officer.

AARHUS: A Danish court found a Somali man guilty on Thursday of attempted terrorism for trying to kill a cartoonist whose 2005 drawing of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stirred Muslim outrage around the globe.

The 29-year-old Somali, Mohamed Geele, broke into the home of the 75-year-old on the evening of January 1, 2010, wielding an axe and a knife and screaming "You must die! You are going to Hell!", according to the cartoonist's testimony.

A police official said that the Somali was also convicted of attempted manslaughter.

The man was acquitted on another attempted manslaughter charge, brought because he threw his axe at a police officer who arrived to arrest him, but was convicted of assaulting the officer, police said.

According to local media, the terror verdict stemmed partly from Westergaard's status as a symbol of freedom of speech and democracy in Denmark, so the attempted attack on him was deemed by the court to be an attack on the nation as a whole.

Westergaard's caricature of the Prophet (pbuh) was one of a dozen cartoons lampooning Islam published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, which led to violent protests in 2006 and threats to cartoonists, other journalists and the newspaper.

Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam offensive, and protests resulted in at least 50 deaths.

Attacker's guilty verdict 'just'

Kurt Westergaard hailed the guilty verdicts handed down to Mohamed Geele.

"This is a reasonable and just ruling," Westergaard, who did not attend the court reading of the verdict, told AFP in a telephone interview.

"I do not have a vengeful nature, but I cannot forget that night of January 1, 2010, when he came to attack me in my home with the firm intention to kill me," the 75-year-old cartoonist added.

Westergaard said he escaped "certain death" by rushing into a bathroom-turned-panic-room to call police.

When the officers arrived, Geele attacked them and was shot twice before being placed under arrest.

Geele had insisted during the trial he was only trying to frighten the cartoonist.

Westergaard however told AFP that "he acted like a terrorist, like a Holy War warrior coming to kill an infidel."

"He only had one goal: to kill me and to kill the symbol of freedom of expression that I represent. I hope that he will have time to think in prison about where his fanaticism has gotten him," he said, adding however that for him "the chapter is closed."

The court in Aarhus is expected to sentence the man later on Thursday or on Friday.