Cartoonist’s fatal car crash in Sweden an accident, authorities say

Swedish artist Lars Vilks (AP)

The police car crash in Sweden that killed artist Lars Vilks was an accident, Swedish authorities have said, not a targeted attack on the cartoonist who lived under police protection since his controversial 2007 sketch of the Prophet Mohammed.

An exploding tyre led the driver of the unmarked police car carrying Mr Vilks to lose control over the vehicle, which crashed head-on with a truck on October 4 last year, Swedish authorities said in a statement.