Irish police arrest 7 on murder plot charges

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Irish police arrested seven people Tuesday suspected of plotting to commit a murder abroad, they announced.

Local media reports said the target was Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who drew a cartoon of the Muslim prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog in 2007, prompting al Qaeda to offer $100,000 to anyone who killed him -- plus an extra $50,000 if the killer slits his throat. The Irish press reports cited unnamed police sources.

Irish police did not confirm that Vilks was the target, but responded to a CNN question about Vilks by saying the arrests were "part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit a serious offense, namely, conspiracy to murder an individual in another jurisdiction."

Four men and three women were arrested by Irish police in Waterford and Cork, authorities said. They range in age from mid-20s to late 40s.

Ireland's national broadcaster RTE said the suspects are originally from Morocco and Yemen, but are all living legally as refugees in Ireland.

Irish police worked with counterparts in the United States and "a number of European countries," they said.

Irish police arrest 7 on murder plot charges - CNN.com