Seven people have been arrested as part of an investigation into a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist.

The four men and three women were arrested as part of an operation in Waterford earlier today.

Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks was at the centre of a row over drawings of the Prophet Muhammad back in 2007.

The cartoon showed the Prophet’s head on a dog’s body and was published by a newspaper in Sweden.

It caused outrage among the Muslim community – who regard the visual representation of the Prophet as blasphemous.

Police at the time had to take the cartoonist to a secret location for his own safety, after the purported head of al-Qaeda in Iraq offered thousands of euro to anyone who killed him.

Today, as part of an investigation into a plot to kill the cartoonist, gardai, carried out several searches in Waterford.

The operation, supported by the Garda National Support Services and the Special Detective Unit involved US police and a number of other European police services

Seven people, four men and three women, aged from their mid 20′s to mid 40′s, were arrested and are being held for questioning under Section 50 of Criminal Justice Act 2007 at garda stations across Waterford.