Dutch court sentences ex-Pakistani cricketer to 12 years over reward for death of far-right lawmaker

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has sentenced a former Pakistani cricketer to 12 years in prison over allegations that he had offered a reward for the death of firebrand anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders. The suspect, identified by Wilders as Khalid Latif, is accused of offering a bounty of about 21,000 euros ($23,000) to anybody who killed Wilders. Latif did not appear in the high-security courtroom for the trial and he was not represented by a lawyer. He is believed to be in Pakistan, which has no extradition agreement with the Netherlands. The Dutch lawmaker has lived under around-the-clock protection for years because of repeated threats to his life sparked by his fierce criticism of Islam.