The Netherlands said on Monday that it is prosecuting a “famous” Pakistani for allegedly instigating the murder of a politician, with anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders identifying the suspect as former international cricketer Khalid Latif.
According to the Dutch public prosecution office, a 37-year-old man offered 21,000 euros ($23,000) in 2018 for the murder of a Dutch MP via a video on the internet, without naming the suspect or the target.
“In this particular case, the suspect is identifiable. He is a famous person in his own country. As a result, the Dutch police recognized him from the images,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Wilders, who halted a competition for Prophet Mohammed caricatures in 2018 due to protests and death threats, tweeted that the suspect was former Pakistan opening batsman Latif.
“The Dutch public prosecutor will prosecute and subpoena cricket player Khalid Latif from Pakistan who put a price on my head to kill me in 2018. They will ask for his arrest and extradition as well,” Wilders tweeted.
He paid “tribute” to prosecutors and encouraged them to charge other persons with making threats.
When asked if Latif was the suspect, a representative for the Dutch prosecution service said, “we never give names.”
Latif claimed he was unaware of the charges.
“I have no knowledge of this. I will only comment once I get any communication on this,” he told AFP.
