Geert Wilders retracts false comments on teen's murder after police refute claims

Geert Wilders has retracted the comments he made in parliament surrounding the murder of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude after the Amsterdam police released a statement describing the comments as inaccurate. "I shouldn’t have said that," he said, adding, "I’m sorry."

Wilders had said on Wednesday that the suspect, who was staying at an asylum seekers center, had been arrested for a sexual assault a week before the murder but was then released. Amsterdam police released a statement hours later saying that this is incorrect. Confronted with this, Wilders said his remark was a mistake. "I thought I had read it, but when I looked back, it turned out not to be the case."

Amsterdam police posted on social media Wednesday afternoon: "This is not correct," they wrote. "The remark in Parliament does not do justice to the work of the police and creates unnecessary distress for those involved and the bereaved."

According to the police, the correct version of the events is that the suspect was arrested on August 21 for a “sexual offense" on the Weesperzijde in Amsterdam. "On August 22, the suspicion was extended to include the Lisa case in Duivendrecht."

Wilders used the case to argue against asylum seekers during a parliamentary debate ahead of the upcoming elections. The debate was fueled by political turmoil after the NSC left the Cabinet last Friday, leaving the BBB and VVD as the two governing parties.

The murder of Lisa caused significant shock throughout the country. The 17-year-old was cycling back from Amsterdam city center to her home in Abcoude when she was murdered in Duivendrecht. The suspect in her death is currently in pre-trial detention.

A campaign for women’s safety called “We Claim the Night” has been launched, with many buildings in Amsterdam being lit in orange on Tuesday evening as a show of support. The fundraiser for the campaign was closed on Wednesday after raising over 509,000 euros.