Swedish cartoonist who drew blasphemous caricatures dies in car accident

Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who drew blasphemous caricatures in the year 2007, 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.

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 tragedy,” said regional police head Carina Persson.

Vilks had been under Swedish police protection since he drew blasphemous caricatures in 2007.