Iranian group raises price on Salman Rushdie's head

An Iranian religious body has increased the reward offered for killing the British author Salman Rushdie from $2.8m to $3.3m, according to local newspapers.

Reports in the Jomhouri Eslami daily and in other newspapers appeared to be a response to the anti-Islam film that has sparked protests across the Muslim world.

The reports said the 15 Khordad Foundation would pay the increased prize to whoever acted on the 1989 death fatwa issued by Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini against the author of The Satanic Verses, calling the book "blasphemous".

AP