David Letterman assassination called for by jihadist

An internet jihadist has issued an assassination threat against late-night host David Letterman.

The threat was made by a frequent poster on a site where Al Qaeda messages often appear first online in the US, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The individual apparently took offence at a joke made by Letterman on his CBS talkshow, in which the comedian made light of the death of accused terrorist leader Ilyas Kashmiri.

The online commenter wrote: "Is there not amongst you a Sayyid Nosair al-Masri (may Allah release him) to cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever.

"He showed his evil nature and deep hatred for Islam and Muslims, and said that Ilyas Kashmiri was killed and he joined bin Laden. We ask Allah to paralyze his tongue and grant the sincere monotheists his neck."

Adam Raisman - an analyst for the SITE Intelligence Group, a private company that monitors extremist websites - described the threat as troublesome, insisting that it was more concerning than a similar threat made against South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in April of last year.

"This was a more explicit threat," Raisman said. "It was direct and to the point."

Raisman advised Letterman to take "as much precaution as he would with an obsessed fan".

CBS had no comment on the matter.

Letterman's studio was recently trashed by an unknown 22-year-old actor who was arrested after using a metal bar to pry open the entrance to the Ed Sullivan Theater where the show tapes its episodes.