Gillian Gibbons, 54 was arrested at her lodgings at Khartoum’s Unity High School yesterday, accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammed, as a reference to Islam’s prophet and founder. A British teacher asks her students to name a teddy bear as Mohammed.

Mrs Gibbons technically faces three charges – insulting Islam, inciting religious hatred and contempt for religious beliefs – each of which carries a maximum penalty of 40 lashes and a year in jail.

Meanwhile, a Sudanese embassy official has said that the British woman could soon be free. Dr Khalid al Mubarak, a spokesman for the Sudanese embassy in London, told BBC Radio that the police had no choice but to follow procedure following a complaint from a parent.

Extreme Islamic groups said Mrs Gibbons “must die” and urged Muslims to hold street protests after prayers tomorrow.

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