Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard is planning to produce a new series of political lampoons. He told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that he wants his newspaper to decide this spring whether or not to publish the new work.

Listen to an interview with Mr Westergaard here:

The 75-year-old artist hit the news because of his controversial drawings of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Following their publication by Denmark's Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2005, there have been attempts on his life and he is under police protection.

In November 2009, he was "sent away on an involuntary holiday" by the paper, which he suspects doesn't want him back because of security issues. At the moment, Westergaard is concentrating on painting water colours. However, he wants to get back to cartoons, and to the subject of 'Islam'.

On New Year's Day 2010 a Somali attacker attempted to kill Mr Westergaard in his home, in front of one of his granddaughters. Since the attacks Mr Westergaard has been under the constant protection of security guards.

Some of the controversial drawings showed the Muslim prophet carrying a bomb in his turban, in an allusion to terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists. The publication of the cartoons led to violent protests in Islamic countries and a fierce debate between people who found the drawings blasphemous, and those who wanted to uphold universal freedom of speech.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide