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Good morning, and thank you for joining me. Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me or you’ve worked with me or you’ve supported me.

Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say.

Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down, and I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.

To everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors and most importantly, the young students we reach, our work is more important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives, and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.

But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I am embarrassed that I have put you in this position.

For all that I have done, I am so sorry.

I have a lot to atone for, but there is one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.

The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’ve done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It’s now up to me to make amends and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I’ve made. It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity.

I once heard, and I believe it’s true, it’s not what you achieve in life that matters; it’s what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count.

Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days from the end of December to early February, I was in inpatient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I’m facing. I have a long way to go. But I’ve taken my first steps in the right direction.

As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants to ask me for the details and the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far as I’m concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.

Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false. Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things; I did.

I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They have been kept separate from my sponsors, my commercial endorsements. When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn’t make it right for the media to follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school’s location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.

I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That’s where my focus will be.

I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I’ve learned that’s how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I’m making these remarks today.

In therapy, I’ve learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me — my marriage and my children.

That also means relying on others for help. I’ve learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know when that day will be.

I don’t rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. In recent weeks, I have received many thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me.

I want to thank the PGA Tour, Commissioner Finchem and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.

Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today, I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.

Thank you.

(CNN) — 10:20 Address ends with Obama calling on Americans to “seize this moment — to start anew, to carry the dream forward and to strengthen our union once more”

10:18 Obama acknowledges that his administration has had political setbacks; says “some of them were deserved.” Obama says the “spirit of determination and optimism” is what keeps him fighting

10:17 On discord in politics: “Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy”

10:13 Obama says he will work with Congress and the military to repeal “the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are”

10:08 Obama says the threat of nuclear weapons is “perhaps the greatest danger to the American people”

10:06 Obama details the challenges in Afghanistan: “There will be difficult days ahead. But I am confident we will succeed”

10:02 Obama mentions Massachusetts special election: “After last week, it is clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern.” He calls out Republicans, saying, “just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership”

9:59 Obama calls on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there’s a vote “so that the American people can see how their money is being spent”

9:57 Obama says Washington is facing a “deficit of trust,” and calls for action on “both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue” to restore credibility

9:54 Obama announces he will establish a bipartisan deficit reduction commission by executive order

9:54 “We will not continue tax cuts for oil companies, investment fund managers and those making over $250,000 a year. We just can’t afford it”

9:52 Obama proposes steps to “pay for the $1 trillion that it took to rescue the economy last year,” including a partial freeze on some government programs. He says he will enforce the freeze by veto if he has to

Broad range of programs targeted by proposed spending freeze

Obama proposes almost doubling child care tax credit

9:48 On health care, Obama urges Congress not to walk away. “Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people”

9:45 Standing ovation after Obama acknowledges first lady Michelle Obama for her efforts to tackle childhood obesity. With all eyes on the first lady, Obama notes, “She gets embarrassed” as she motions for those in the chambers to sit down

9:44 Obama gets more laughs: “By now it should be fairly obvious that I didn’t take on health care because it was good politics”

9:41 CNN’s Candy Crowley observes: A call for safe, clean nuclear power plans brings GOP to its feet

9:37 Obama announces goal of doubling exports over the next five years, an increase that he says will support 2 million jobs in America. “To help meet this goal, we’re launching a National Export Initiative that will help farmers and small businesses increase their exports, and reform export controls consistent with national security”

9:36 On climate change: “Even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future — because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation”

9:34 On financial reform: “The lobbyists are already trying to kill it. Well, we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back”

9:29 Obama urges the Senate follow the House’s lead and pass a jobs bill, saying, “I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay”

9:28 Obama says workers in Tampa, Florida, will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act

9:27 On stimulating the economy: “I’m proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I am also proposing a new small business tax credit — one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we’re at it, let’s also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment; and provide a tax incentive for all businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment.”

9:23 Obama credits the creation of 2 million jobs with steps his administration has taken toward economic recovery, adding, “We are on track to add another one and a half million jobs to this total by the end of the year”

9:20 CNN’s Candy Crowley observes: Always some good theater at these events. Obama talks about the taxes he has cut. No Republican stands to clap, and the president calls them out, “I thought I’d get some applause on that one”

9:18 Obama says the bank bailout “was about as popular as a root canal”

9:16 Obama draws first applause after he says he has “never been more hopeful about America’s future” than tonight

9:13 On the economy, Obama says “the worst of the storm has passed”

9:12 Obama says America is being tested, but said “we must answer history’s call,” conjuring up memories of such times of struggle as the Civil War Battle of Bull Run, the storming of Omaha Beach in World War II and the stock market crash of 1929

9:11 Obama begins his State of the Union address

9:10 Vice President Joe Biden lets out a cheer as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomes Obama

9:08 Obama enters chamber, greets members of Congress, his Cabinet and Supreme Court justices

9:05 Wilson Livingood, the House Sergeant of Arms, introduces Obama

9:01 In holding room, Obama was talking with Sens. Lamar Alexander, John Cornyn and John Thune. He turned to the entire congressional welcoming committee and joked, “We just brokered a health care deal right here.”

8:48 p.m. The president’s speech is being written right up until the last moments, according to two White House aides, who say they have not seen a new draft since about noon today. An embargoed copy of the full speech was supposed to be released at 8:30 p.m., but there’s no sign of it yet because of last-minute changes.

8:38 p.m. Obama en route to Capitol

8 p.m. CNN’s Ed Henry reports:

Senior officials say the president’s broad goal is to seize back the mantle of change by talking about the need for a “new beginning” between Democrats and Republicans that can restore trust in Washington.

Along these lines, the president will make what officials describe as a passing reference to the special election in Massachusetts but will not have a “chastened” tone like Bill Clinton after the 1994 election. Instead, officials say he will use the election defeat as a way to challenge Republicans to meet him halfway on the major issues facing the nation.

Officials say he will note that with Republicans now having 41 votes in the Senate, they can’t just block everything.

The first test will come next week when the Senate is expected to begin debate on a jobs bill. The president will specifically try to sprinkle the jobs bill with small business and corporate tax cuts to win over some Republican votes and call their bluff if they do not come on board.

While jobs and the economy will make up the bulk of the speech, officials say health care will also figure prominently. But they note the president will not get too specific on the path forward because key lawmakers want to take a deep breath on the volatile issue while ramping up much more time on the jobs legislation.

Beyond jobs and health care, officials say the second tier of the agenda will focus on three primary issues:

– Financial regulatory reform, which gives the president another chance to press Wall Street to change the rules of the road to prevent another crisis.

– Climate change legislation, where the president will specifically cite the work of lawmakers in both parties trying to broker a compromise.

– Education reform, where the president will push for an increase of up to $4 billion despite lean times for other key parts of his budget.

Talk show hosts may have more influence than they realize. According to ABC News, Nancy Grace of HLN (formerly CNN Headline News) interviewed 21 year-old Florida mother Melinda Duckett back in 2006, after Melinda’s 2 year-old son Trenton had disappeared. Nancy grilled the woman, accusing her of hiding something. Tragically, Melinda shot and killed herself the day the taped interview was scheduled to air.

Melinda’s family is suing Nancy for wrongful death, claiming that she inflicted emotional distress on the woman. Nancy doesn’t want cameras present at the deposition on Thursday, or the prohibition of the release of the video if it is indeed taped. Her attorneys say it’s necessary to protect Nancy from embarrassment.

Earlier this month, CNN and Nancy fought back against the Ducketts, asking a judge to force themental health facility Lifestream Behavioral Center to turn over records from when Melinda stayed there.

What do you think? Is this whole lawsuit bogus, or could Nancy really be to blame? Should hosts be more sensitive to their guests, especially when those guests are in fragile emotional states? And should cameras be allowed into the court, or should Nancy be granted some privacy?

What makes this story even more sad is that Melinda’s son Trenton has never been found. He would be four years old.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — French rescue workers pulled a 24-year-old man alive from the rubble of a hotel in Haiti on Saturday, 11 days after an earthquake devastated much of the country.

Wismond Jean-Pierre, who had no visible injuries but was severely dehydrated, was immediately loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Lt. Col. Christophe Renou, a rescuer with the French team, called the three-hour effort “a miracle” as he was briefly overcome with emotion. Other members of the team — assisted by American and Greek workers — were seen weeping with joy following the rescue.

“This is God,” Frank Louvier, the chief of the French rescue team, said as he pointed to the sky.

Full coverage | Twitter updates

The man’s brothers said they reported hearing tapping from within the ruins of the Hotel Napoli Inn for several days but struggled to get authorities to the scene. A Greek journalist said he alerted Greek rescue workers after hearing the tapping for himself.

Jean-Pierre was a clerk at a store in the hotel. After the building collapsed, he searched in the dark and found some soda that sustained him, his brother said. His rescuers told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that cookies and beer were also found in the pocket after Jean-Pierre was rescued.

In video shot by French Civil Protection, Jean-Pierre is seen wriggling out of an opening in the rubble no wider than his shoulders, a big smile on his face as he sees his rescuers for the first time.

Renou said Jean-Pierre was found in a pocket in the rubble and was able to move all of his extremities. A doctor who examined him said Jean-Pierre was protected by a desk.

Renou said Jean-Pierre did not say much when he was pulled out but indicated that there were three or four people around him when the building collapsed. However, Jean-Pierre told rescuers he had not heard any sounds around him for a couple of days. Workers were going into the rubble with radar equipment to check for any other possible survivors.
Video: Buried for 11 days
Video: Rescuers: ‘A miracle’
Video: Fleeing Haiti by sea
Video: Survivors flee to nowhere
RELATED TOPICS

* Earthquakes
* Haiti
* Port-au-Prince

The emotional rescue came a day after the Haitian government said that more than 111,000 people died in last week’s earthquake.

It is the worst death toll from an earthquake since the 2004 Asian tsunami and the second-highest death toll from an earthquake in more than three decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Meanwhile Saturday, much of Haiti was mourning as rescue operations turned into recovery missions and the country’s president attended the funeral of an archbishop who was one of the victims.

A Mexican rescue team pulled the body of 63-year-old Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot from ruins near the national cathedral, which he oversaw as archbishop of Port-au-Prince. The cathedral was destroyed.

(CNN) — A dating site that markets itself as an elite community for beautiful people with a “strict ban on ugly people” has axed about 5,000 members for packing on the pounds during the holiday season.

The international site BeautifulPeople.com threw out members after they posted photos “revealing that they have let themselves go,” according to a company statement.

“As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld,” said Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com. “Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”

The site describes itself as an “elite online club, where every member works the door” — that is, users can join only after enough members vote them “beautiful” during the 48 hours after their profile is uploaded.

And apparently, enough beautiful people were angry that some members had enjoyed a bit too many treats during the holiday season.

So BeautifulPeople.com sent those flagged members e-mails, according to the company statement, telling them they could register again for the site when the extra pudge was gone.

“We responded to complaints by moving the newly chubby members back to the rating stage. This is the same as having them re-apply,” Greg Hodge, managing director of BeautifulPeople.com, said in a statement.

The company said it “expelled” 1,520 users from the U.S., 832 from the U.K., 533 from Canada, 510 from Poland, 425 from Germany, 402 from Italy, 323 from France, 220 from Denmark, 176 from Turkey and 88 people from Russia. In the e-mail, it gave users suggestions for boot camps and workout facilities to get themselves back in shape.

Some gave the site a shot again, hoping fellow users might not see them as the “fatties” others had.

“Their re-applications were reviewed by existing members, and only a few hundred were voted back in. Over 5,000 were rejected,” Hodge added.

Hodge admits, and has admitted from the time his company started, that his site may not be fair, but people want to date someone they are attracted to.

“Is it elitist? Yes, it is, because our members want it to be,” Hodge said when the company started out in 2005. “Is it lookist? Yes, it is, because our members want it to be. Is it PC? No, it’s not, but it’s honest.”

And on this site, beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder; only one in five applicants is normally accepted, a company statement said.

Maintaining those standards is what the site is about, Hodge said, and that’s why people were expelled.

“Every year we see that some of our members from Western cultures eat and drink to excess over the holidays, and clearly their looks suffer,” he said in a statement. “The U.S.A. has been grossly over-indulging since Thanksgiving. It’s no wonder that so many members have been expelled from the network. We hope they will be back after shedding the festive pounds.”

(CNN) — Hours after a security breach forced the closure of a terminal at the Newark, New Jersey, airport Sunday, authorities were still searching for a man who went the wrong way through a checkpoint exit.

The incident happened at about 5:20 p.m. at Terminal C, when an individual walked from the public side to the secure “sterile” side for passengers who had cleared screening, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

No flights were allowed to leave from Terminal C Sunday evening and thousands of other travelers who had reached the sterile area after going through checkpoints were moved back to the public area to be re-screened, the TSA said.

Authorities are reviewing video from airport cameras. They are not sure whether the man was once on the sterile side and went back, or if he never went through screening, TSA spokeswoman Anne Davis said.

Watch more about the situation in Newark Video

The incident caused arrival delays and mainly affected Continental Airlines, which is the airport’s largest tenant.

CNN’s Alina Cho, who arrived at the airport Saturday night on a flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, described the hectic scene: “For the people who are hoping to fly out of Newark this evening, there is not a lot of movement.”

She said many passengers who had already boarded outgoing flights had to get off planes to be re-screened.

“I just saw one woman pleading with a gate agent, saying that she had two small children and a heart condition — that she simply could not take this,” Cho said. “But of course, there will be no exceptions.”

Flying Continental? Important company notice

Newark Liberty International Airport, which is about 15 miles from Manhattan, is the second-largest hub for Continental.

The airport handles about 35 million passengers a year.

(CNN) — A tip from a television viewer led to the arrest of a Florida man accused of gunning down four of his family members on Thanksgiving Day, authorities said early Sunday.

Paul Michael Merhige, 35, was arrested in Monroe County by U.S. Marshals Saturday night, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Becky Herrin.

A viewer of the show “America’s Most Wanted” recognized descriptions of Merhige and his car, authorities said at a news conference early Sunday. Officers immediately responded to the tip, surrounding a small motel in the Middle Keys, part of the Florida Keys.

The “America’s Most Wanted” tipster told authorities that Merhige had checked into the Edgewater Lodge under the name John Baca and provided an address in Homestead, Florida, according to a news release from police in Jupiter, Florida.

Merhige had paid cash at least two weeks in advance for his second-story room, the U.S. Marshal’s Service said in a news release. He was on a computer when marshals burst into his room.

Merhige had tried to disguise his 2007 Blue Toyota Camry with a car cover and had switched its vehicle tag with one from another car he’d owned, the statement said.

Authorities said Merhige, who had apparently been at the Monroe County motel since December 2, did not resist apprehension by U.S. marshals. It was not immediately clear whether he was armed at the time of his arrest, which occurred more than 200 miles from Jupiter, Florida.

Authorities said Merhige attended a holiday gathering when he shot several members of his family.

Merhige’s twin sisters Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, 33, and Raymonde Joseph, 76, were killed, along with his 6-year-old cousin Makayla Sitton, police said.

Authorities said Knight was pregnant. Two others — Patrick Knight and Clifford Gebara — were wounded, police said.

Interviews with family members suggest that Merhige “had ongoing resentment” for some of his relatives, police said.

Jim Sitton, father of 6-year-old Makayla, who was killed, told CNN affiliate WPTV late Saturday that he would “sleep a little better tonight.”

“I won’t be patrolling my house with a shotgun, looking for the monster. … I’ve been in protective mode,” he said. “This doesn’t bring Makayla back. I’m not jumping for joy. Her room is still empty. But the monster is in a cage now.”

Merhige faces four counts of first-degree murder and at least one count of first-degree murder, authorities said Sunday. The case is expected to go to a grand jury within 30 days.

In December, the Marshals added Merhige to their list of the top 15 most-wanted fugitives, and a $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.

The agency also released some distinguishing characteristics about Merhige, saying he was known to either fake or display symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder, such as frequent bathing and shaving, and difficulty making decisions. He also had faked or displayed symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, and taken several prescription drugs for the ailments.

(CNN) — A woman watching the Dakar Rally in Argentina died Saturday after a vehicle in the event went off the track, striking her and other fans, race organizers said.

Sonia Natalia Gallardo died Saturday afternoon at a hospital in Cordoba, Argentina, race organizers said in a statement on the event’s Web site.

The others who were hit were being treated for “slight injuries,” the statement said.

The incident, which involved German driver Mirco Schultis and Czech partner Ulrich Leardi, occurred in the race’s first stage, from Buenos Aires to Cordoba, the organizers said.

Schultis and Leardi were driving in a 4×4 Desert Warrior truck, according to the Web site.

Tomas Fragueiro, a photojournalist with Argentina’s La Voz del Interior, witnessed the accident and told CNN that he helped police and medical teams take care of the victims.

“I was in the internal zone of the 30-kilometer curve where most reporters were standing,” said Fragueiro in a telephone interview.

“Security did not include the security tapes required in most races and [Gallardo] was standing outside a safety zone,” he said.

Race officials offered their condolences to the victim’s family and called for organizers and authorities to “exercise the greatest care and keep within special ’spectator zones.’ ”

Established in 1978, the Dakar race is an intrepid, off-the-beaten-path rally that involves modified vehicles. Known for its strenuous itineraries, the race first took place from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, and later moved to other regions of the world.

This year’s Dakar race is in South America for the first time. The race spans from Argentina to Chile from January 1 to 17.

(CNN) — A Somali man believed to have time to terrorist groups was shot as he allegedly tried to enter the home of Danish political cartoonist Kurt Westergaard — known for his controversial depictions of the Muslim prophet Mohammad — on Friday, police said.

The 27-year-old man, who was not identified, wielded an ax and a knife and cracked a window at Westergaard’s home in Aarhus, said police spokesman Morten Jensen. A home alarm alerted police to the scene at 10 p.m., and they were attacked by the man, he said.

The officers shot the man in the right leg and left hand. He was hospitalized, but was not seriously injured, police said.

Danish intelligence officials said the suspect is connected to al-Shabaab, al Qaeda’s ally in east Africa.

The incident “once again confirms the terrorist threat that is directed against Denmark and against cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, in particular,” said Jakob Scharf, spokesman for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, in a statement.

Westergaard’s caricature of Mohammed — which depicted the prophet wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse — sparked an uproar among Muslims in early 2006 after newspapers reprinted the images months later as a matter of free speech. The cartoon was first published by the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jullands-Posten in September 2005.

At the time, Westergaard said he wanted his cartoon to say that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terror. However, many in the Muslim world interpreted the drawing as depicting their prophet as a terrorist.

Over the years, Danish authorities have arrested other suspects who allegedly plotted against Westergaard’s life.

After three such arrests were made in February 2008, Westergaard issued a statement, saying, “Of course I fear for my life after the Danish Security and Intelligence Service informed me of the concrete plans of certain people to kill me. However, I have turned fear into anger and indignation. It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness.”

Scharf said authorities have taken measures to ensure Westergaard’s safety, and that the protection has “proven effective.”

(CNN) — Pennsylvania police have arrested a woman who authorities say fled Washington state 11 years ago with her two sons against a court order instructing her to return them to their father, police said.

Jill Haugen was arrested at her home in Milton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, days after she had contacted police saying she didn’t want to take care of her sons any longer, Milton Police Chief Craig Lutcher told CNN.

Police in Spokane, Washington, said a felony warrant for first-degree custodial interference was issued for her in 1998. The Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, district attorney’s office said she has been charged with being a fugitive from justice and is awaiting an extradition hearing. It was not immediately clear if she had retained legal representation.

Police made two trips to her house after her Saturday phone call, Lutcher said, and the sons, now ages 15 and 16, were placed into foster care after the second visit, on Sunday.

A caseworker discovered through an Internet search that there was a warrant from Washington state for Haugen’s arrest and told police, Lutcher said.

Police said Haugen had provided them with two different names on two different occasions.

Haugen, who was known as Jill Connington when she was married to Bill Connington, did not win primary custody of the couple’s children in 1998 after the two had divorced, police in Spokane said.

“They were with her on a visitation and she never brought them back,” Spokane police Lt. Dave McGovern said.

When she disappeared, according to police, the felony warrant for first-degree custodial interference was issued for her, police said.

Bill Connington told CNN that he was a “little overwhelmed with everything.”

“I’ve had thoughts of possibly never seeing [his sons] again but never gave up hope I would,” he said.

He said he was speaking with caseworkers about getting the teenagers to Washington.

As she was escorted by police, Haugen told media she was a domestic abuse survivor and that her two sons were sexual abuse survivors. It was not immediately clear against whom she was leveling the sexual abuse accusations.

“We’ve been in this state since 2000,” she said. “We are legal residents.”

McGovern said a sexual abuse allegation was filed in 1995 on behalf of the children, but authorities were not able to substantiate anything from it.

Asked about the abuse, Connington denied any wrongdoing and said he had offered during the custody hearings to do whatever he needed to prove his innocence.