It was no joking matter to the NYPD.
Even before Comedy Central’s “South Park” aired its episode that purported to feature the Prophet Mohammed in a bear suit, security was tightened at the cable network’s Midtown headquarters and satellite offices around Manhattan.
Tipped off by blogs that the episode would air, cops beefed up security to ward off any attacks on Comedy Central by aggrieved Islamic fanatics who believe any depictions of the prophet are punishable by death.
On Wednesday, Comedy Central aired a heavily censored version of the episode that showed it was actually Santa Claus — not Mohammed — in the bear suit.
So far, the only public threat came from a group of American converts to Islam who run the Web site Revolution Muslim.
“May Allah kill [creators] Matt Stone and Trey Parker and burn them in Hell for all eternity. They insult our prophets Mohammed, Jesus, and Moses,” wrote Zachary “Abu Talhah al-Amrike” Cheeser.