Last Update: April 18, 2023, 01:47 AM IST
Wilders, who in 2018 canceled a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad after protests and death threats, tweeted that the suspect was former Pakistan opener Latif. (Image: Geert Wilders / Twitter)
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service said a 37-year-old man was offered 21,000 euros ($23,000) to murder a Dutch lawmaker in 2018
The Netherlands said on Monday it was prosecuting a “well-known” Pakistani for allegedly inciting the murder of an MP, with anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders saying the suspect is former international cricketer Khaled Latif.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service said a 37-year-old man offered 21,000 euros ($23,000) in 2018 to assassinate a Dutch lawmaker via a video on the Internet, without identifying the suspect or the target.
“In this particular case, the suspect is recognisable. He is a well-known figure in his country. As a result, the Dutch police identified him from the images,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Wilders, who in 2018 canceled a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad after protests and death threats, tweeted that the suspect was former Pakistan opener Latif.
“Dutch public prosecutors will prosecute and summon Khalid Latif, the Pakistani cricketer who put a price on my head for killing me in 2018. They will also seek his arrest and extradition,” Wilders tweeted.
He paid “tribute” to prosecutors and asked them to prosecute other people he accused of making threats.
A spokesman for the Dutch Prosecution Service, when asked to confirm that Latif was a suspect, replied that “we never give names”.
Latif himself said that he was not aware of the allegations.
“I have no knowledge of it. I will only comment when I receive a communication on it,” he told AFP.
Dutch prosecutors have now requested Pakistan to serve summons on the suspect, but said it would be “very complicated” as there is no legal treaty between the two countries.
Latif has been summoned to appear in a court near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on August 29, facing charges of attempted murder, treason and racketeering.
Dutch media reported that prosecutors had also asked to question Latif in 2019.
There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani embassy in The Hague.
Latif, 37, was banned from cricket for five years in 2017 for spot-fixing in a Pakistan Super League match in Dubai.
Banned in 201 Pakistan Super League match in Dubai for striking a deal to play dot ball ((when a ball is bowled and the batsman fails to score) his fellow opener Sharjeel Khan in exchange for money was given.
Latif served his ban last year and has since been living a low-profile life in Karachi, coaching at the club level.
He played the last of his 13 Twenty20 Internationals in September 2016. He also played five One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Pakistan.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
