On November 2, 2004, Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, great-grandnephew of painter Vincent van Gogh, cycled to work through an Amsterdam street after recently releasing his short film "Submission," which criticized the treatment of women in Islam. As he rode, 26-year-old Dutch-Moroccan Islamist Mohammed Bouyeri approached him, shot him several times, and then stabbed him, finally slitting his throat.
Bouyeri left a knife pinned in Van Gogh's body with a letter threatening the film's writer, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and calling for jihad against unbelievers. A court later convicted Bouyeri of Van Gogh's murder and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.