The magistrate's court in the Dutch town of Harlem decided yesterday
that Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson, be remanded in custody for twenty
days pending an expected extradition order from Norway. The term of custody
can be extended by 30 days at a time until judgement has been passed in
the case, magistrates spokeswoman Tina Zviers told the
Norwegian News Agency (NTB) on April 3.
"I strongly believe that Watson will be serving his sentence in Norway,"says Tom Brunsell of Norwegian C.I.D. to the newspaper "Aftenposten" on April 3. Today, the Norwegian authorities will be sending a formal request to the Dutch authorities for the extradition of the Sea Shepherd leader, who has been sentenced to 120 days of unconditional imprisonment for attempting to scuttle the whaling vessel "Nybrænna" in 1992.
Watson was arrested at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam last Wednesday, while travelling from Germany to the US. On Monday March 31 he had been arrested in Germany, but was released the following day. Last month, Norway issued a warrant for Watson's arrest via Interpol and the arrests were implemented on the basis of the warrant.
Watson has also been charged with criminal damages inflicted upon the Coast Guard vessel "Andenes" after he steered his ship "Whales Forever" into its side in 1994. He has also been accused of transmitting false alarm signals and for illegal entry into Norwegian territorial waters, but charges have not yet been brought in these cases.