ISIS threatens renowned cartoonist, newspaper in Ecuador

Rebeca Morla / Panampost reported

Xavier Bonilla, the celebrated Ecuadorian cartoonist known as Bonil, and local newspaper El Universo have been warned that they are at risk of a jihadi attack, similar to the shooting that occurred in France against the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and its staff members.

Fundamedios, an NGO that advocates for free speech in the country, reported on Wednesday, March 4, that El Universo received a written statement in its readers mailbox titled, “A warning to the cartoonist Bonil.”

It was signed by a person identified as José Muñiz, who claims to be a 22-year-old Ecuadorian citizen, student of Islam, and member of the Islamic State (ISIS).

According to Muñiz, Bonil’s cartoon, published in the newspaper on March 1, offended the Islamic organization and their god, Allah. “Once again, the cartoonist for El Universo, ridicules the Islamic State with his drawings, and names Allah,” he wrote.

“The next time I see a cartoon similar to what I have mentioned in your journal, I will call my friends in Syria to alert them about what is happening in Ecuador, so they can come and kill the wretch who is doing this,” Muñiz continued.

Moreover, Muñiz stated that they will “make an attack against the newspaper El Universo, such as the one that happened in France with the magazine Charlie Hebdo.”

Finally, the message reads: “This is the last time Bonil, or you will regret it.”

The cartoon that led to the threat shows two scenes: first, three ISIS men hitting a statue with the caption “Let’s put an end to the cultural expressions of the infidels!”

The second image shows a person wearing a turban, sitting in front of a computer, and reads: “By Allah! The internet is slow … I cannot submit our video to Twitter and Facebook.”
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