The Turkish government is taking action against those it accuses of depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a cartoon in a satirical magazine. Turkey's president called the cartoon a "vile provocation" and promised to hold those responsible for its publication "accountable before the law.

A controversial cartoon has sparked mass protests, arrests and threats against a leading Turkish satire magazine.

By Ece Toksabay ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned as a "vile provocation" a cartoon in a satirical magazine that appeared to depict Prophets Mohammad and Moses, amplifying an outcry by religious conservatives after the arrest of four cartoonists.