Pro-Palestine activist Fergie Chambers arrested in Spain after US extradition request

Fergie Chambers, the American activist and heir to the Cox family fortune who has financed humanitarian relief in Gaza alongside pro-Palestinian campaigns, has been arrested in Spain on a US extradition request alleging money laundering and other offences.

Chambers was arrested on Friday morning on the island of Ibiza. Later that day, he appeared before a judge, who denied him bail pending extradition proceedings.

Over the past decade, Chambers has used part of his inherited fortune to support humanitarian initiatives in Gaza and legal defence funds for left-wing activists in the United States and the UK.

His supporters say his arrest was “politically motivated”. Ghassan Abu Sitta, the prominent British-Palestinian surgeon and rector of the University of Glasgow, has described his humanitarian support for children in Gaza as “vital”. 

Chambers' arrest unfolded at around 10.45am in Ibiza's secluded Morna Valley. An eyewitness told Middle East Eye that, as Chambers pulled into a driveway, a black vehicle blocked his path.

Two other vehicles then came into view. Seven Spanish law enforcement officers - two women and five men - identified themselves by showing their badges before handcuffing Chambers. They informed him that he was being detained under an international arrest warrant.

According to the indictment, prosecutors have charged Chambers with international money laundering, riot and conspiracy to riot. The indictment alleges that, after leaving the United States in 2023, he transferred approximately $7.5 million out of the country in order to seek opportunities to provide material support to Hamas.

His supporters have hit back, contending that those funds were used for legal purposes, namely investing in local businesses and sponsoring the Club Africain football team, current football league champions in Tunisia. 

If extradited and convicted on the lead count of international money laundering, Chambers faces a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment.

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