Swedish 'Mohammad' cartoonist Lars Vilks killed in car crash

FILE PHOTO: Swedish artist Lars Vilks, known for his drawing of Prophet Muhammad, takes part in a freedom of speech discussion in Helsinki April 14, 2015. REUTERS/Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva

Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who stirred worldwide controversy in 2007 with drawings depicting the Prophet Mohammad with the body of a dog, was killed in a car crash near the southern town of Markaryd on Sunday, police said.

Vilks, 75, who had been living under police protection since the drawings were published, was travelling in a police vehicle which collided with a truck. Two police officers were also killed.

"This is a very tragic incident. It is now important to all of us that we do everything we can to investigate what happened and what caused the collision," Swedish police said in a statement on Monday.

Forensic technicians work at the scene following an accident between a car and a lorry, in which three people died, including Swedish artist Lars Vilks, a day before, outside the town Markaryd, Sweden October 4, 2021. Three people died in the accident that took place on Sunday afternoon Oct. 03, one of them is the Swedish artist Lars Vilks and the other two were police officers. TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson via REUTERS

"Initially, there is nothing that points to anyone else being involved."

Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.

Since the publication of the cartoons, Vilks had been living under round-the-clock police guard following threats against his life. He had a bounty put on his head and his house was fire-bombed.

Forensic technicians work at the scene following an accident between a car and a lorry, in which three people died, including Swedish artist Lars Vilks, a day before, outside the town Markaryd, Sweden October 4, 2021. Three people died in the accident that took place on Sunday afternoon Oct. 03, one of them is the Swedish artist Lars Vilks and the other two were police officers. TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson via REUTERS

In 2015, one person was killed in Copenhagen, Denmark, at a meeting meant to mark the 25th anniversary of an Iranian fatwa against British writer Salman Rushdie, which Vilks attended.

Vilks was widely seen as the intended target.

Vilks had said that the cartoons were not intended to provoke Muslims, but to challenge political correctness in the art world.

Regional Police Chief Carina Persson and Chief Inspector Stefan Sinteus address a news conference following the death of Swedish artist Lars Vilks in car accident outside Markaryd, in Malmo, Sweden October 4, 2021. TT News Agency/Johan NIlsson/via REUTERS

(Reporting by Helena Soderpalm, Editing by Simon Johnson and Timothy Heritage)

Regional Police Chief Carina Persson and Chief Inspector Stefan Sinteus address a news conference following the death of Swedish artist Lars Vilks in car accident outside Markaryd, in Malmo, Sweden October 4, 2021. TT News Agency/Johan NIlsson/via REUTERS