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Prophet Mohammad cartoonist dies in car crash
The 75-year-old and two police officers were killed in a collision with an oncoming truck, Swedish police confirmed to AFP.
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In this file photo taken on March 11, 2010 Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks walks in the streets of Stockholm. Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who lived under police protection after his 2007 depiction of the Prophet Mohammed prompted death threats, died October 3, 2021 in a car accident. (AFP/Francois Campredon)
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wedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who lived under police protection after his 2007 depiction of the Prophet Mohammed prompted death threats, died Sunday in a car accident.
The 75-year-old and two police officers were killed in a collision with an oncoming truck, Swedish police confirmed to AFP.
"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," a police spokesperson told AFP, 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. Both vehicles caught fire and the truck driver was hospitalised, according to police.
In a statement, the police said the cause of the accident was unclear.
"The person we were protecting and two colleagues died in this inconceivable and terribly sad tragedy," said regional police head Carina Persson.
Vilks had been under police protection since his 2007 cartoon of Mohammed with a dog's body prompted outrage among those who consider depictions of the Muslim prophet deeply offensive or blasphemous.
