US ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra has apologised for anti-Muslim comments and says he "regrets" an interview with Dutch television in which he dismissed them as "fake news".
Mr Hoekstra has been widely derided online over his interview with Wouter Zwart of Dutch broadcaster NOS about comments he made in 2015 claiming there were "no-go zones" in Muslim communities in the Netherlands.
"The Islamic movement has now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos," Mr Hoekstra said two years ago.
"Chaos in the Netherlands, there are cars being burnt, there are politicians that are being burnt. And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands."
When confronted by Zwart over the claims, he contradicted himself twice.
Initially Mr Hoekstra denied ever having made the remarks, dismissing it as "fake news".
"I didn't say that," he said.
"That is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news. I never said that … it's not what I said."
But when Dutch-born Mr Hoekstra was then shown footage of himself making the comments, he then denied he had even used the term "fake news" in the interview.
"I didn't call that fake news. I didn't use the words today. I don't think I did," he said, to Zwart's visible confusion.
In the wake of the airing of the interview and its sharing on social media, Mr Hoekstra tweeted a statement.
"I made remarks in 2015 and regret the exchange during the Nieuwsuur interview. Please accept my apology," he said.
"I look forward to the opportunity to learn, to listen, and to move on in the spirit of peace and friendship with the people and leaders of the Netherlands."
Mr Hoekstra moved to the US when he was three.
He served in Michigan as congressman and was also a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee and says he is a "frequent writer and commentator on intelligence issues and the threat from radical Islam".
