Creator of Mohammed bomb cartoon retires

ARHUS, Denmark, June 8 (UPI) -- Kurt Westergaard, the Danish artist who created a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed, said he has decided to retire.

Westergaard, 75, worked for many years for the newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which published a series of cartoons of Mohammed in 2005. The entire series angered Muslims, but it was Westergaard's depiction of Mohammed with a bomb coming out of his turban that created the biggest backlash.

At a news conference Monday, Westergaard, who has been on an extended leave of absence, said he believes his departure would "reduce the level of threat" at the newspaper, the Copenhagen Post reported.

"Kurt has decided to stop in order to dedicate himself to other artistic endeavors," Jorn Mikkelsen, the editor in chief, said. "We thank him enormously for the many ingenious and beautiful drawings he has created over the years. And there is also good reason to thank him for the personal courage and steadfastness he has shown during the last five years."

There have been several attempts on Westergaard's life. On New Year's Day, he hid in a bathroom that had been fitted up as a panic room after a man armed with an ax invaded his house.