Excerpt:
Prime minister Mark Rutte said during a television debate with other party leaders on Thursday night it would be better if Dutch jihadis who travel to Syria died there rather than return to the Netherlands.
Rutte was asked if he agreed with the statement that it would be preferable if jihadis died rather than came back. D66 leader Alexander Pechtold said he was shocked by the prime minister's position.
'I think as prime minister you should put the rule of law first, but you are saying 'go and die in the desert rather than face your responsibilities in court,' Pechtold said. Such a statement is 'unworthy of a prime minister', he said.