Watch Video: Swedish Artist Who Drew Cartoons of Prophet Mohammed (SAW) Died in a Terrible Accident
Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who stirred worldwide controversy in 2007 with offensive drawings depicting the Prophet Mohammed, was killed in a car crash near the southern town of Markaryd on Sunday, police said.
Vilks was reported to be travelling in a civilian police vehicle which collided with a truck near the town of Markaryd in southern Sweden.
The 75-year-old and two police officers were killed in a collision with an oncoming truck on Sunday, Swedish police confirmed.
The 75-year-old artist had been living under police protection after being subjected to death threats over the cartoon. The cartoon, published in 2007, offended many Muslims who regard visual representation of the Prophet as blasphemous. It came a year after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet.
The police car Vilks was in was travelling at high speed, according to local media reports.
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.
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One eyewitness told the Aftonbladet newspaper that the car Vilks was thought to be in seemed to lose control and came over to his side of the motorway at high speed. The truck in front did not have time to swerve and then they collided in a loud bang at “incredible speed”, he told the newspaper.
WATCH: A large fire broke out after the accident and a number of emergency vehicles attended at the scene. You can watch video of the accident below:
