US activist James Chambers detained in Ibiza pending US extradition request

While scouting schools for their son in northern Ibiza, James “Fergie” Chambers and actress Stella Schnabel were intercepted by unmarked vehicles that identified themselves as civil police and detained Chambers on a US Interpol Red Notice. The notice lists accusations of money laundering, rioting and conspiracy to riot, offenses that could carry up to 30 years in US prison. Spain has until roughly late August to receive the formal extradition request, after which the Audiencia Nacional and the cabinet, meeting on September 25, will rule on the matter.

Chambers’ defense, headed by former high-court judge Baltasar Garzón, claims the charges stem from political persecution linked to his pro-Palestinian activism. The decision arrives as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration faces heightened tension with the United States over broader diplomatic disputes.