Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders is increasingly being confronted with threats from outside the Netherlands. In an interview with Dutch daily on Saturday the controversial MP said at the end of last year people in the south-easternmost tip of Europe were preparing an attack.

"At the end of last year there was solid information about people somewhere in the Caucasus who were making preparations to harm me," said Mr Wilders. The reason the politician is able to reveal this incident is because the case had been resolved and there was no longer a threat. Although he said he could not go into detail. 

The threat was so serious that various scenarios were discussed. If they had not been stopped at an early stage he was told he should leave the country. "I refused. I am a politician here. I have a party to lead." He said it was up to the security team to come up with a plan to keep him safe.

Mr Wilders believes the increase in threats are due to him becoming better known internationally. There are always threats to his life, but they have increased. "A couple of years ago there were clearly fewer threats," he said. 

A spokesperson for the National Coordinator of Counter Terrorism NCTb declined to respond to Wilders' comments. "We never discuss actual threats and indications in the media and see no reason to do so now," said the spokesperson.