Swedish artist who drew blasphemous caricature dies in car crash

Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, known for his blasphemous depiction of Prophet Mohammed, died in a car accident along with police officers who had been assigned to protect him.

Vilks, lived under police protection after his 2007 blasphemous depiction.

The 75-year-old and two police officers were killed in a collision with an oncoming truck on Sunday, Swedish police confirmed.

“This is being investigated like any other road accident. Because two policemen were involved, an investigation has been assigned to a special section of the prosecutor’s office,” said a police spokesperson, adding that there was no suspicion of foul play.

The accident occurred near the small town Markaryd when the car Vilks was travelling in crashed into an oncoming truck.

Al Qaeda had offered a $100,000 reward for Vilks’ murder.

The depiction also sparked diplomatic friction, with Sweden’s then prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt meeting ambassadors from several Muslim countries to ease tensions.

In 2015, Vilks survived a gun attack at a free-speech conference in Copenhagen that left a Danish film director dead.