Danish police have shot a Somali man linked to al-Qaida who tried to enter the home of an artist who drew controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The man, a 28-year-old Somalian who was armed with an axe and a knife, was caught trying to break into the home of Kurt Westergaard at 10pm local time on Friday, police said.

Police shot the man, injuring him in his leg and arm. He was taken into custody and is expected to recover.

Mr Westergaard, 74, was commissioned by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper to produce caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed five years ago, including one which depicted the Prophet with a bomb in his turban.

Jakob Scharf, who heads the Danish intelligence service, PET, said the attack was “terror related”.

“The arrested man has according to PET’s information close relations to the Somali terrorist group, al-Shabaab, and al-Qaida leaders in eastern Africa,” he added.

Mr Westergaard, who has received several death threats since the cartoon was published, was at home in Viby near the western city of Aarhus, and guarded by police, when the intruder tried to get in.