The Netherlands announced on Monday (17) that a well-known Pakistani figure is being prosecuted for allegedly inciting the murder of a Dutch lawmaker. Anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders claimed that the suspect is former international cricketer Khalid Latif.
The prosecution service stated that in 2018, a 37-year-old individual offered €21,000 or approximately £18, 520.08 (equivalent to $23,000) through an internet video for the killing of a Dutch MP without specifying the suspect or the intended target.
However, prosecutors revealed in a statement that in this case, the suspect can be identified as he is a prominent figure in his home country, and the Dutch police identified him from the video.
Wilders, who cancelled a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2018 due to demonstrations and death threats, took to Twitter to express his gratitude towards prosecutors for their actions and urged them to prosecute other individuals who he accused of making threats.
He also tweeted that the Dutch public prosecutor would prosecute and subpoena Latif, requesting his arrest and extradition.
When asked to confirm whether Latif was the suspect, a spokesperson for the Dutch prosecution service responded that they do not disclose names.
According to AFP, Khalid Latif has claimed that he has no knowledge of the charges brought against him by the Dutch prosecutors. "I have no knowledge of this. I will only comment once I get any communication on this," he said.
The Dutch prosecutors have submitted a request to Pakistan to serve the summons on the suspect, but they acknowledged that this could be "very complicated" due to the lack of a legal treaty between the two countries.
Latif has been summoned to appear in court near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on August 29 to face charges of attempting to incite murder, sedition, and threats.
Dutch media reported that prosecutors had requested to question Latif in 2019. However, the Pakistani embassy in The Hague did not provide an immediate comment.
Latif, who was banned from cricket for five years in 2017 due to his involvement in spot-fixing in a Pakistan Super League match in Dubai, completed his ban last year and has been living a low-profile life in Karachi, coaching at the club level.
He played 13 Twenty20 internationals and five One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Pakistan.
(With inputs from AFP)
Damian Talbot