Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif tries to murder Geert Wilders

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A 37-year-old Pakistani “famous” cricketer Khalid Latif faces prosecution in the Netherlands for allegedly inciting the murder of Geert Wilders, a Dutch MP hated by Islamists and jihadists.

According to media report, the Dutch public prosecution service said a 37-year-old Pakistani cricketer had offered 21,000 euros (US$23,000) in 2018 for the killing of a Dutch MP through a video on the internet, without identifying 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 cancelled a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2018 after demonstrations 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.

Greet Wilders paid “tribute” to prosecutors and asked them to prosecute other people whom he accused of making threats.

A spokesperson for the Dutch prosecution service, when asked to confirm that Latif was the suspect, responded that “we never give names”.

Latif himself said 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.

Dutch prosecutors have now submitted a request to Pakistan that it serve the summons on the suspect, but said this would be “very complicated” as the two countries have no legal treaty.

Latif has been summoned to attend a court near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on August 29, 2023 on charges of attempting to incite murder, sedition and threats.

Dutch media reported that prosecutors had also asked to question Latif in 2019.

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