Animal rights campaigner due in Dutch court

A 32-year-old man is due to appear in court in the Netherlands today charged with murdering far-right leader Pim Fortuyn on Monday.

Mr Fortuyn, who was 54, died after being shot in the head, neck and chest by a lone gunman after he left a radio studio in the town of Hilversum, near Amsterdam.

Dutch media identified the man charged with his murder only as Volkert van der G, of Harderwijk, and said he was married with one child and worked for an animal rights group called Environment Offensive.

Police said the gunman was apparently acting alone when he shot Mr Fortuyn at least five times.

The anti-Muslim politician was expected to make significant gains in the Dutch elections on May 15 and some pundits predicted that he could even have become the country’s new Prime Minister.