Mysterious car accident: The author († 75) of the cartoon Mohammed also died with two police security guards – Topky.sk

The fatal accident occurred on a highway near the town of Markaryd in the south of the country, when a truck collided with a civilian police vehicle in which the 75-year-old Vilks was driving, according to the TT news agency, together with his security guard. In addition to the cartoonist himself, two police officers also died, Swedish police told AFP. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Vilks has lived under police protection since 2007 due to death threats he received in connection with the controversial portrayal of Muhammad. As the AP explains, conservative Muslims consider dogs unclean, and Islamic law generally prohibits any depiction of a prophet because it can lead to idolatry.

The terrorist organization al-Qaeda has written a reward for the artist’s work for his work. In 2010, two men tried to set fire to his house. In 2015, he was again the target of an attack by a 22-year-old man of Palestinian origin at an event in support of freedom of expression in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Although the striker Vilks was not killed, the Danish filmmaker Finn Nörgaard lost his life and three police officers were injured. Later, the perpetrator killed a Jewish security guard in front of the local synagogue and injured two other police officers. Last year, a woman from the US state of Pennsylvania admitted that she was involved in an attempt to kill Vilks.

Prior to the controversial portrayal of Muhammad, the Vilks were not well known outside of Sweden. At home, he became famous for creating sculptures made of driftwood in a nature reserve in southern Sweden without permission, thus launching a lengthy legal battle. He was fined, but the work attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.