As US seeks Gaza donor’s extradition, wife warns of ‘terrifying precedent’

Madrid, Spain – A affluent American donor to Palestinian causes who faces extradition from Spain to the United States implicit alleged fiscal enactment of Hamas is simply a unfortunate of “political persecution”, his woman and lawyers person told Al Jazeera.

James “Fergie” Chambers was arrested connected the Spanish land of Ibiza successful July portion searching for a schoolhouse for his lad with his wife, histrion Stella Schnabel.

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US authorities person linked Chambers to the transportation of $7.5m to Tunisia and allege that the funds were yet utilized to supply fiscal enactment to the Palestinian equipped radical Hamas.

Director Julian Schnabel (centre), screenwriter Rula Jebreal (right) and histrion Stella Schnabel airs during the ‘Miral’ reddish carpet lawsuit astatine the 67th Venice Film Festival, September 2, 2010 [Tony Gentile/Reuters]

The indictment remains sealed, truthful the circumstantial allegations against Chambers – who denies wrongdoing – are not yet known.

Chambers, heir to 1 of the richest families successful the US, has supported a fistful of humanitarian projects successful Gaza with funds totalling much than $1m, a subordinate of his ineligible squad said soon aft his arrest.

The extradition effort is believed to beryllium the archetypal of its benignant involving a US national accused of providing enactment to Hamas.

Chambers, who describes himself arsenic a Marxist-Leninist, has been held successful a Madrid jailhouse for six weeks arsenic Spanish authorities see the US extradition request.

Schnabel, who is besides an activist, said she was driving done the Balearic land of Ibiza with her hubby to hunt for a schoolhouse for their five-year-old son, arsenic they were moving from Ireland to Spain, erstwhile helium was arrested.

“Suddenly, respective unmarked cars chopped america off. Police officers got retired of the cars and told america to get retired of the car. I got retired my phone, and they told maine not to phone,” she told Al Jazeera. “They handcuffed Fergie. We said we loved each other, and helium said, ‘Tell the kids I emotion them’. And they bundled him into a car, and helium was gone. That was July 10. Over six weeks ago.”

Schnabel said US President Donald Trump’s medication was targeting her hubby for being 1 of the largest donors to humanitarian projects successful Gaza. This included supplying bread, h2o and aesculapian care.

“He should beryllium astatine location with his family, continuing his humanitarian work. Instead, helium is facing governmental persecution due to the fact that helium has stood with the Palestinian people,” she said. “This sets a terrifying precedent for repression of the wider question for a escaped Palestine, including precedent for the Trump medication exporting its repression acold beyond the US borders to people the radical of Europe.”

The US Department of Justice declined to remark erstwhile contacted by Al Jazeera.

The US sent the indictment and documentation to Spain past week, successful clip to conscionable the 45-day deadline aft Chambers’s apprehension successful July.

Al Jazeera understands that the indictment is inactive sealed and has not been revealed to his defence team.

Spanish authorities indispensable present measure the US request. Among the issues they whitethorn see is whether the extradition would magnitude to governmental persecution, a condition that could supply grounds for refusing it.

Chambers comes from the household down Atlanta-based Cox Communications. In 2023, helium reached an statement with his relatives nether which his involvement successful the household concern was bought backmost for astir $250m, pursuing a interruption with the family.

Since then, helium has been backing dozens of projects successful 20 countries, Schnabel has said.

On the cardinal allegation astir backing Hamas, Schnabel said this was a “trumped-up charge” for which the US has not provided a “shred of evidence”.

“My knowing is that the US appears to trust connected the information that helium transferred $7.5m of his ain funds from the US to Tunisia. The world is that this wealth was transferred to Tunisia due to the fact that we were surviving there, and for philanthropic activities, including supporting Club Africain [a shot team],” Schnabel said.

“The wealth sponsored the club, helped to wage its debts and overdue salaries, rebuild its grooming centre and make shot fields for young people.”

The Tunisian broadside secured the league rubric successful May.

Lawyers for Chambers person besides pointed to his outspoken views connected Israel and its genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

In the week aft the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks connected Israel, Chambers posted connected X astir Israel’s response: “Stop calling it ‘collective punishment’. There’s thing to beryllium ‘punished’ for. No faction of the Palestinian resistance, Hamas oregon other, has done thing wrong. It’s simply genocide. Like it has been.”

In the aftermath of the 41-year-old’s arrest, FBI agents raided the rented spot successful Ibiza wherever Chambers had been staying, The Guardian reported.

Chambers is represented by Spanish human-rights lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who has argued that the lawsuit against his lawsuit is politically motivated and connected to his humanitarian enactment successful Palestine.

“We petition our client’s provisional merchandise and to record each indispensable ineligible actions with the courts,” helium told Al Jazeera.

In 1998, Garzon sprang to planetary attraction erstwhile helium sought the extradition from London of the erstwhile Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. He has besides acted successful quality rights cases successful Spain and Argentina.

“We anticipation that Spain volition not assistance extradition successful what we see to beryllium a lawsuit of governmental persecution based connected our client’s ideas and humanitarian assistance to Palestine,” helium added, referring to Chambers.