Dutch lawmaker suspends campaigning due to security scandal
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders says he will suspend campaigning for an upcoming parliamentary election in the wake of a scandal centering on a security official responsible for protecting him.
Wilders reacted to a newspaper story Thursday claiming the security official already detained on suspicion of leaking classified information also was suspected of infractions earlier in his career.
Wilders said in a tweet that "the news is incredibly worrisome" and added that until the situation has been cleared up his populist Party for Freedom "suspends public activities."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wilders has lived for more than a decade under around-the-clock protection and in anonymous safe houses following death threats.
The detained officer serves on the team responsible for security around top politicians and diplomats.
The Netherlands holds its parliamentary election on March 15.