Posted on 03/22/2005 10:04:24 PM PST by HAL9000
The United States demanded Tuesday that Japan hand over Bobby Fischer despite Iceland's move to accept the chess legend currently detained by Japanese immigration authorities since last July."That's what we've asked for," Adam Ereli, deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, told reporters, when asked if the United States wants Japan to hand him over to the United States.
Ereli expressed "disappointment" about the Icelandic parliament's decision Monday to grant citizenship to Fischer, 62.
"It's an arrangement that we're disappointed by. Mr. Fischer is a fugitive from justice. There is a federal warrant for his arrest. He's being detained in Japan, awaiting deportation and that's the step that we're looking forward to," he said.
Following Iceland's decision, the Japanese Justice Ministry began considering whether to allow Fischer to leave for Iceland, ministry officials said Tuesday.
Fischer has been detained at an immigration detention facility in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.
On Monday, the Icelandic legislature enacted a law immediately giving Icelandic citizenship to Fischer. The legislation will come into force after President Olafur Grimsson signs it.
Fischer had a landmark match in Iceland with his old rival Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in 1972 and his supporters say he is regarded as a hero in Iceland for helping to give it a greater international profile for hosting the match.
Under Japan's immigration law, the former world chess champion is to be deported to his country of national origin, which is the United States, or a country where he has citizenship.
The Japanese Justice Ministry is expected to decide on whether to allow Fischer to leave Japan once it receives formal notice from Reykjavik on his citizenship.
Fischer was detained for allegedly carrying an invalid U.S. passport while trying to leave the country. He has argued his passport was illegally revoked and has been fighting deportation to the United States, where he is wanted for violating economic sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing a highly publicized chess match there in 1992 when he won $3 million in prize money.
His supporters say he is being persecuted for his past controversial statements including anti-Semitic remarks and comments hailing the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
What did he say about Sept. 11?
Oh, sure, we can't find a legal pretext to have a foreign country turn over Osama bin Laden on a silver platter, but we're insisting on bringing back old pain-in-the-ass Bobby Fischer in chains? Something's wrong with this picture!
;-)
The guy is clearly insane. Can't we just use Iceland as his de facto mental ward?
They should grant Icelandic citizenship to Terri Schiavo.
He said we deserved it for the usual host of moronic left wing reasons. Listening to him makes you want to crack a chessboard over his head and force feed him all of the pawns.
In his interview on September 11 with Radio Bombo in Baguio City, Mr Fischer said: "This is all wonderful news. It is time to finish off the US once and for all.
"I was happy and could not believe what was happening. All the crimes the US has committed in the world. This just shows, what goes around comes around, even to the US.
"I applaud the act. The US and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians for years. Now it is coming back at the US."
Mr Fischer, 58, also attacked Israel and "Jews" who he claimed were responsible for "bringing" the attack on the World Trade Centre.
Crap! I thought we already were!
Surely the State Department has real lawbreakers to go after, such as illegal aliens.
I couldn't agree more.
Let the Icelanders have the wacko . Doesn't the USA have much bigger fish to fry ?
I was all for just letting him go to iceland, until I read those comments about 9/11. If we can get custody of him and put him in jail, then so be it. He hates us anyways, so what the heck, why not?
I say let this moron go, but revoke his citizenship and impose a lifetime ban on getting a visa to the USA. This guy is sorry. Iceland is a good place for his kind.
He skipped out on paying taxes on 3.2 million. Nail him.
Hmmm, wonder if that is what Gaza is in the end. A place to put all the hundreds of thousands of Arabs inside Israel without visas running around yelling Jihad.
Nah, it will never fly. Japan can have Ushiku for runaway chess players, America can have Gitmo for detainees from other countries, but Israel has to build the Jihadi a State of their own instead of sending them back to their own State.
Funny world isn't it.
"He said we deserved it for the usual host of moronic left wing reasons. Listening to him makes you want to crack a chessboard over his head and force feed him all of the pawns."
what a hilarious image. the guy is a nut, let him go to iceland, there's nothing there. an old volacano i think. oh, and bjork. perfect match.
Well the reason Mr. Fischer is in detention is that he is an ILLEGAL ALIEN - DUH. By going after him, Japan is doing exactly what you suggest. The U.S. just happens to be his country of origin.
Just look at Martha Stewart wearing an ankle bracelet during her parole while paroled CHILD MOLESTORS wander the countryside wrecking havoc on innocent children and their families nationwide. Something is really wrong with that picture.
That MERE chessplayer is a nutter. But not a criminal of any importance. Did he molest and murder a child? NO! Did he kill a policeman? NO!
WHO really gives a rat's tail what that nut says and where that nut plays the game of chess?????
Not anybody with a real life!!
WE KNOW it does.... but he is an "easy" target!!
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