Dutch firebrand Wilders: Man with knives detained at event Dutch authorities say a man carrying two knives and an ax has been detained over the weekend shortly before anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders was due to hand out political flyers before provincial elections

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A man carrying two knives and an ax was detained over the weekend shortly before anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders was due to hand out political flyers before provincial elections.

Wilders tweeted about the incident Monday. The country's counter-terrorism coordinator confirmed that the man was carrying knives and an ax but declined to release any further details about the man or whether he faced charges.

Wilders, who is known for his strident anti-Islam rhetoric, lives under round-the-clock protection following years of death threats.

Wilders complimented law enforcement authorities for their alertness, saying they "prevented a lot of misery."

The incident happened Saturday in the southern town of Heerlen. Wilders tweeted then that counterterror officials told him a "confused man" had been detained a few minutes before his arrival.