STOCKHOLM – The Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who sparked global ire with his derogatory depiction of Islam’s last prophet Muhammad PBUH, died in a car accident, it emerged on Sunday.
Reports in the Swedish press cited that the controversial cartoonist, 75, was killed near the southern town of Markaryd along with two police bodyguards, who were deployed for his security following the blasphemous drawings that triggered global protests against him.
The incident occurred when his vehicle swerved and crashed through a metal road barrier, colliding with a truck, both vehicles burst into flames while the truck driver was rushed to a local medical facility.
Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, known for his blasphemous depiction of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 2007, dies in a car accident along with police officers who had been assigned to protect him. pic.twitter.com/7G8aJhkSOh
— Sajjad Mohmand (@sajjumohmand) October 4, 2021
A spokesperson of local law enforcement speaking with a news agency said they found was no suspicion of foul play. “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”, the statement cited.
Cops however hinted that they found tire pieces saying they are looking to find the reason behind the incident. A tire could have been exploded which makes the vehicle swerved, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s police chief, said the probe could take ‘a relatively long time’, as Swedish authorities termed the event ‘an extremely tragic traffic accident’.
The death of Vilks made headlines across the globe as he was famous for the publication of blasphemous cartoons against the founder of Islam.
His drawings, which he said depict ‘free speech’, sparked protests in many of the Islamic countries. The organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), also called for ‘punitive actions’ against the Swedish cartoonist who hurt more sentiments of Muslims around the wrold. Former Swedish PM later called on ambassadors from 22 Muslim countries to try to defuse the situation at that time.
Some reports claimed that Al Qaeda also placed a $100,000 bounty on the Vilks’s head, prompting a failed assassination attempt.
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