Danish intelligence services say the attack on the home of Kurt Westergaard, whose cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad sparked outrage across the Muslim world, was a terrorist attack.

They say the Somali man who tried to enter Mr Westergaard's house has links with Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda leaders in Africa. At the time of the attack, Mr Westergaard was at home with his wife and a grandchild. They have not been injured.

Mr Westergaard's cartoon, published in 2005 in the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, depicted the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. The cartoon prompted violent protests across the Muslim world. Protesters attacked Danish embassies and dozens of people were killed during riots in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Mr Westergaard has been under police protection ever since. He also spent some time in hiding.

Pakistani students burning a Danish flag (Photo: EPA)