An 18-year-old man from Leiden will appear before the summary judge on Monday for threatening two lead candidates. In a private message to one, he wrote he would knock out and hang the candidate; to the other, he sent a message that he would kill them.
The suspect sent a private message to a lead candidate via Instagram on Wednesday. He wrote that if he encountered the politician, he would knock him out, drag him into a van, hang him, and cut him open. After a report to the Threatened Politicians Team, the sender was identified and arrested on Thursday.
The police also found a private message dated September 24 on his phone to another lead candidate. In it, he wrote that he would kill the politician and that security would not help him.
Because the suspect was recently convicted of violent offenses, the Public Prosecution Service decided to bring him immediately before the summary judge on Monday. The file is closed.
Foundation of democracy
Politicians must be able to do their work unhindered and without restraint, and during election time, lead candidates must feel free to campaign. This is the basis for the proper functioning of our democracy. Reports and complaints of threats therefore receive special attention from the police and the Public Prosecution Service. The Threatened Politicians Team of the The Hague police unit facilitates reporting or filing complaints for national politicians. The team is led by the Public Prosecution Service in The Hague, which is responsible for assessing reports and deciding on prosecution of suspects.
The Public Prosecution Service publishes the annual number of reports and the number of threats deemed criminal offenses. In 2024, 363 reports were made, in 235 cases the Public Prosecution Service judged it a criminal threat. Figures for 2025 are not yet known.
