Dutch authorities detained a 25-year-old man on Wednesday after he issued violent threats against politicians in a livestreamed TikTok video that was widely circulated online. The suspect specifically named right-wing politician Geert Wilders, according to a Reuters report.
In the video, the man threatened to go to parliament “with an axe” and declared that “heads will roll,” adding that he “might (start) with Geertje,” using a nickname for Wilders.
The Dutch public prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest and said the suspect was questioned before being released pending a decision on whether he will face prosecution.
The incident comes just one week before national elections in the Netherlands, scheduled for next Wednesday.
Last November, a Dutch court convicted in absentia two Pakistani political leaders of making calls for the murder of Wilders.
Wilders is known for his tough views on Islam, with his party having previously vowed to close mosques and “ban the Quran” in its manifesto.
His stance against Islam has in the past sparked outrage around the Muslim world and prompted death threats that have led to him living under round-the-clock protection.
In 2018, Wilders canceled a planned cartoon contest of the Prophet Mohammed after protests broke out in Pakistan and he was inundated with death threats.
Wilders is also a staunch supporter of Israel. After Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel in a Hebrew post on X, Wilders fired back.
“You are a psychopath, a dangerous maniac, a sick person who will lose because logic, democracy and freedom will win and we will always support Israel,” he wrote to Khamenei.
Last year, Wilders gave an impassioned speech in support of Israel at the Dutch Parliament.
He said that radical Muslims “are out to destroy the Jewish State and kill its inhabitants” and then added, “And for me and my political party, it is not difficult to see with whom we stand in solidarity. Are we with the Jewish people, who are fighting for their existence, or are we with Islamic extremists, terrorist scum who want to exterminate them? And I tell you, until the very end, I support the State of Israel.”