STOCKHOLM - HUNDREDS of copies of a Swedish newspaper which published a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog were burnt overnight in Orebro, west of Stockholm.

'They were put on fire intentionally, but we have no evidence why, no witness, and we can only speculate why they were put on fire,' Orebro police spokesman Torbjorn Carlson said.

No organisation claimed responsibility for the 200 to 300 burnt copies found in a bus shelter.

On Aug 18, Nerikes Allehanda local newspaper, published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed with a dog's body, sparking angry reactions from Muslim countries such as Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

'We probably will never know who did it and why,' Mr Carlson added. -- AFP