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Artist relocated following al-Qaida threat

SEATTLE, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A cartoonist for a Seattle newspaper was given a new identity by the FBI after receiving death threats from al-Qaida, her publisher announced.

Molly Norris, a cartoonist for the Seattle Weekly at the insistence of the FBI left her position, changed her name and moved from Seattle because of the controversy surrounding one of her cartoons.

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Anwar al-Awlaki, a lead cleric in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, through the terrorist organization's "Inspire" Internet magazine, said the Seattle cartoonist doesn't deserve to live.

Awlaki in his message blasted Norris for a May cartoon posted on her Web site that lampoons media company Viacom for censuring an episode of Comedy Central's "South Park," which depicted the Prophet Mohammed dressed in a bear suit. Morris in her cartoon declared May 20 "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day."

"(Morris) is, in effect, being put into a witness-protection program, except, as she notes, without the government picking up the tab," the Seattle Weekly said.

FBI official told Norris they consider the Awlaki statement to be a "very serious threat." Washington put the cleric on its hit list following allegations he was linked to several attempted terrorist plots targeting the United States.

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