A Swedish court on Friday acquitted three men charged with plotting to kill artist Lars Vilks, whose depiction of the Muslim prophet Mohammed as a dog sparked outrage worldwide in 2007.
Abdi Aziz Mahamud, and Salar Sami Mahmood and Abdi Weli Mohamud, Somalis who hold Swedish citizenship, were however fined for violating a law against carrying a knife in public, the court said.
The trio were arrested in September on suspicion of planning to kill Vilks.
During the trial in the western city of Gothenburg the men said they knew of Vilks but denied planning to murder him even though they disliked his drawing.
Police spotted the trio near an arts centre that was to host a contemporary art exhibition mentioned by Vilks on his blog. On the day of the exhibition’s opening, one of the three men also asked about Vilks at the venue.
In its ruling the court said the men had given inaccurate statements about their movements prior to their arrest, but there motives had not been fully established.
The men were released from custody last month, pending Friday’s ruling.
Prosecutor Agnetha Hilding Qvarnstrom had asked the court to hand down a minimum three-year sentence. She told local media she wanted to read the ruling before considering a possible appeal.
Vilks has been under police protection after receiving death threats.